Casual Love
by CaramelIllusions
Summary: Just random one shots about Nath and Lila. Rated T for swearing and some suggestive scenes.
1. Passing notes

Ch 1

 **This is just going to be random one, two, and or three shots about Nath and Lila. I'm taking a break from my other story Illusions and Illustrations and considering its back to school updates will be harder to make so I made this to keep you guys happy. I hope you like it! I would have uploaded this on Monday but I was having internet issues. :( Sorry.**

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The classroom was filled with the static noise of pencil scabbing against paper and the babbling muffled words of the teacher. Lila looked onwards, blinking in boredom and disinterest, her eyes half lidded. She rested the side of her head on her hand, eyes glazed over, and face frozen in a permeant frown. From the corner of her eyes she could see a redheaded boy sketching in his notebook instead of taking notes. The _scritch scratch scratch_ of the pencil against the paper softly echoed in her ears and the smell of furiously rubbed rubber eraser lingered in the stale air of the classroom.

Suddenly he stopped sketching. His eyes shot a side glance at her and she quickly returned her gaze to the science equations written on the board, avoiding his gaze. A few seconds went by and the scratching of pencil against paper resumed. It was sort of soothing Lila thought.

She was about to doze off when something caught the corner of her eye again, it was a slim white piece of paper being pushed towards her. She raised an eyebrow slightly and sent a curious look towards the boy sitting next to her, who merely looked forward studying the numbers and definitions scribbled on the board in front of them with fake interest. Lila let out a tired sigh as curiosity got the best of her; she wanted to know what the hidden contents of the paper where. So she unfolded it and read it silently in her mind.

 _Do you want to talk about why you look like you're about to murder someone?_

Lila frowned and quickly scribbled down a replay before sliding it over back to the redhead.

 _No._

She hoped the simple replay would be enough to demonstrate she was not in the mood for petty banter and she also hoped that the curt response would be enough to satisfy the boy so he could leave her alone. Not expecting a replay she returned her attention to the front of the classroom, where her crush sat, she frowned at the ache she felt in her chest. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts, before they could solemnly think back to what had occurred only recently with the whole ladybug incident, as she saw the movement of a little white paper move towards her. She was curious as to what it would entail.

 _You seem upset._

Lila quietly scoffed and replayed back with a sarcastic response.

 _No dip Sherlock._

A quiet stifled giggle caught her attention.

"Well someone's grouchy today." A smooth voice said.

She was taken aback by the deep almost sensual voice that came out of the small boy's body. She was expecting a higher pitched voice maybe even a little bit shaky…Now with her full and undivided attention focused on her classmate her brain automatically started memorizing the boy's delicate features.

His skin was a pale pearl white and his hair was a fiery red with long bangs neatly combed to the left side of his face while the rest of his hair gently cascaded down from his scalp to the nape of his neck in messy locks. He had a small button nose, thin lips, and big seafoam colored eyes one of which was concealed by his red veil of hair. Lila could feel her heart pitter patter silently in her chest as it resonated with a slight hum, so as a defensive mechanism her fire wall automatically flared up.

"Shut up, Ariel." She quietly hissed out with a small scowl.

He frowned slightly, clearly ticked off. But, then his frown transformed into another stifled giggle. He turned to face her, lips curved into a small smile like grin while he rested his head on the palm of his pale hand looking at her with slight amusement.

"Did I hit a nerve?" He asked coyly.

Lila was so close to tearing him up into small, cute, bishie pieces. But, her anger was quickly and surprisingly quelled when she saw his coy grin soften into an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I get it. I'll leave you alone now." He said politely as he returned his attention back on his sketchbook where he resumed drawing the unfinished sketch.

Lila blinked, not sure how to approach this new situation. On one hand she could drop it and pretend like this never happened…but there was some invisible force that pulled her towards the boy. His fragile looks and polite yet sassy attitude intrigued her. Finally she deiced on what to do. Picking up her pencil and the white scrap piece of paper she began scribbling down a few words before sliding it back over to the redhead, who took it curiously. It read.

 _Sorry for snapping at you, my name's Lila by the way._ Near the corner of the sentence was a little carton fox face with an apologetic grin. Nathanael smiled.

 _No problem…I probably shouldn't have been so nosy in the first place. My name's Nathanael. You draw really good…_

 _Haha thanks! I can only really draw foxes though, it's my favorite animal. Do you draw?_

The question was really just a formality. Lila knew he, Nathanael, could draw as evident of his early unfinished sketch that remained forgotten in his sketchbook. Nathanael replied with a blunt 'yeah.'

 _Do you think you could draw me something?_

 _Sure, what do you want me to draw…?_

Lila pondered the question for a little while…she went with the first obvious answer that popped into her head.

 _Can you draw me a pin up of Adrien?_

Oh my lord! Nathanael's reaction was priceless. Lila thought as she tried to stifle her giggles. His eyes went wide and he did a double take and then he looked at her with a 'really?' face. She just grinned sheepishly and mouthed the word please. He shook his head 'no' with a slightly disgusted look. She pouted and fluttered her eyelashes, and quietly mumbled out a please…Nathanael blinked and he shook his head 'no' again but with less ferocity than the first time. Lila noticed his growing weakness and decided to quiver her lips and look at him with big puppy dog eyes until he gave in. Nathanael's face was slightly red now and he mumbled a quite 'ok.' Lila giggled at how cute he was. She quickly scribbled a 'thanks' on the piece of paper. He replied with a snarky 'shut up.' Lila decided to tease him a bit.

 _Your face is_ _REALLY_ _red._

 _It's just hot in here that's all!_

 _Sure it is…_

 _It's the truth!_ He persisted and Lila just giggled. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.

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 **That's it Hope you liked it I wan inspired by a drawing on tumblr so that's where this story came from. R &R please.**


	2. Mundane Friday

Ch 2

 **I'm back with another one-shot. I think I should mention none of these chapters are related. And also if you guys have any prompts or ideas I would love to hear them. Any who...Enjoy!**

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The golden disk's rays peaked through the half closed curtains and illuminated the room with its shimmering light. I hung over the side of the small single bed, my brown hair spilling over the edge like a chocolate waterfall. I groaned out in annoyance, my head now dizzy from the rushing flow of blood.

"What is it now, Lila?" Nathanael asked idly.

"I'm bored!" I exclaimed in frustration as I lifted myself up and sat on the bed, hunching over the math textbook I had left forgotten on the edge of the bed.

"How unfortunate." Nathanael replied dryly as he flipped through the pages of his geometry textbook.

I merely glared at his back with fiery irritation before turning my gaze back down to my own geometry book. The numbers seemed to swarm around random shapes as they occasionally mingled with the alphabet…It felt like they were mocking me…I hate math…I thought grumbly.

"Nathanael, its Friday!" I exclaimed, once again falling back onto the bed.

"And…?"

"And! And we shouldn't be here slaving away over this useless homework! We should be outside enjoying our youth!" I explained with a slight melodramatic undertone. Nathanael put his pencil down and he turned his chair towards me with a mocking pout on his pale face.

"Aww…Poor baby." He said sarcastically before rotating his chair and returning to his work. I frowned and stuck my tongue out, though he didn't see it since his back was turned towards me, but I managed to catch his cheeky grin.

"What question are you on anyway?" I asked.

"I'm on the last one." My eyes widened in awe, considering I myself was only on question number four.

"How do you do it?"

"Hmm…Do what?"

"You know, solve these things?" I asked. Nathanael just shrugged before responding.

"I mean I only have a B in the class, it's not like I'm some math genius most math problems can be solved just by plugging in numbers into a formula anyway." Nathanael said modestly.

"Well you are math genius compared to me….Hey can I see your answers." Nathanael let out a sigh.

"If I give you the answers you won't learn."

"What are you a teacher?" I asked with a snort.

"I'm your friend and as your friend I want to help you by making you learn besides…I don't want you leeching off me all the time."

"Hey! I am not a leech." I exclaimed sitting straight up from the bed in protest. When Nathanael ignored me I just pouted and I fell backwards on the bed again. "Come on! Just this once plllleassse!" I begged as I waved my hands around like a child.

"No" He replied dryly.

"…If you give me the answers I'll let you copy my science homework." I offered and there was a brief silence.

"Deal."

* * *

"Aaaand! Done!" I exclaimed happily as I finished writing the last few numbers of the answer. "Thanks for giving me the answers, Nath."

"No problem. Thanks for letting me copy your science homework." He said as he handed me my science homework back.

"Yeah, but next time I won't give you the answers otherwise you won't learn." I said mockingly. He just stuck his tongue out childishly in response.

"You know you could definitely get an A in math if you tired." He insisted. It was sweet to know he thought highly of me and my intelligence.

"Oh but I DO try, I guess you could say I geomeTRY!"

"Oh my god…that wasn't even a good pun."

"You didn't let me finish. Once I try I geomeCRY then I wonder geomeWHY and then I'm like geomeBYE!"

He let out a frustrated groan of annoyance as he rubbed his temples. I smiled then I stretched out my tired limbs and let out a yawn. I was bored again.

"Nathanael, Let's do something!" I whined.

"Like what?" Nathanael mumbled as he stretched out his own tired limbs and crawled onto his bed; laying down beside me.

A devious idea came to mind and I grinned. I probed myself up on my elbow and turned to face Nathanael; he turned to and probed himself up to look at me with curiosity, awaiting my response. I pressed our foreheads together gently, gazing into his sea-foam colored eyes with my own mischievous eyes.

"We can do something fun together~." I said playfully as I ran a slender finger up and down his chest suggestively. He turned a bright red and scowled.

"Shut up."

I giggled. He was far too easy to tease. Regardless of his embarrassment we stayed like that for a little while, just silently gazing into each other's eyes in comfortable silence. I was starting to nod of when I suddenly had the immense urge to sneeze.

"A-achoo!" I let out a sneeze and as a result Nathanael jumped back in surprise, startled by the loud sound, and fell off the bed's edge onto the floor.

"Holy-" His sentence was cut off as he fell down with a gentle thud.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry." I tried saying sincerely, but I had to stifle the sound of amusement in my voice as I tried to keep myself from laughing.

"..Bless you…" He murmured dryly as he lay on the floor with a blank expression.

I burst out laughing, unable to keep in my laughter. Nathanael got up from the floor and let out a sheepish laugh as well. We didn't get to go outside that day. Instead I decided to spend the night over at Nathanael house, doing nothing more than watching movies and TV shows. Nathanael laid his head on my lap as he watched the TV curled up in thin blankets. I mindlessly ran my fingers through his red hair as I stared at the TV duly absorbed into the fantasy land the director was able to create and that was how we spent the rest of the day; curled up in blankets watching Netflix. It was a Good Friday however mundane.

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 **Yeah so this one is kinda short but I hoped you enjoyed it. R &R please! :)**


	3. Privacy

Ch 3

"Hey Nathanael you up there?" I asked out loud.

Nathanael and I were supposed to hang out in the mall together and watch a new movie that was coming out today. But, I didn't hear any response from upstairs.

"Nathanael if you don't hurry it up were gonna be late." I exclaimed…once again there was no response…maybe he didn't hear me.

I made my way up the stairs and headed towards Nathanael's room. I didn't hear any movements coming from the door. _Where could he be…?_

"Hey Nathanael I hope you're not changing because I'm coming in." I said as I opened the door to his room…

He wasn't there...Kind of disappointed, though I don't know what I was expecting…I guess I was expecting a hilarious anime scene to unfold before me where Nathanael would blush like a tomato and try to cover up his indecency as he threw random crap at me. But no I was just met with his empty room.

The room's main three walls were a pearly white and the last one was a chinaberry color. The window's black curtains were drawn back letting in the clear sunlight from outside. His bed's white sheets with red accents were neatly made and his black, white, and light red pillows were orderly arranged. Next to his bed on the right hand side was the modern black and white sleek drawer where he kept random shit like coloring pencils, charcoal, paper, and other artistic equipment. His black desk was pressed on the wall opposite of his bed, the accented one with white bookshelves, and was in complete disarray covered with papers, pencil shavings, and sketches and next to that was his modern black and white clothing drawers. There was also a medium sized rectangular purple carpet and a few crumbled up pieces of paper on the floor, probably concept sketches Nathanael didn't like.

"Hmm…where is little red?" I wondered out loud. I shrugged and decided to pick up the crumbled pieces of paper off the floor. _Maybe if I tidy up his desk he'll feel inclined to pay me back._ I thought as I started organizing the random sheets of paper…when I noticed something odd about one of his various sketchbooks.

Well the sketchbook wasn't really odd by itself. It was actually relatively inconspicuous. It was small with a black cover, but I was still curious. Nathanael was an amazing artist as much as he denies it out of modesty…I began to wonder what artistic creations he hid in the small black sketchbook. Nathanael is very reserved and he usually doesn't let me look in any of his sketchbooks. If I looked inside that book it would be an invasion of privacy….I thought. _Yeah, but we're friends so it's okay, it's not like we keep secrets from each other, one little peak wouldn't hurt, don't you want to know what's inside…?_ A persuasive voice whispered. Well…I was really curious…one peak wouldn't hurt…Nathanael doesn't have to know…

I opened the book and the pages were full and I mean full of sketches of Marinette… _Oh my god…he's obsessed!_ I turned the page and there was Marinette and there she was again and again and again…. _Does Nathanael like her? He's always been so reserved and he doesn't ever talk about his love life…He's never shown any romantic interest in anyone, at least not that I know of…_ What I also noticed was that all the drawing of my fellow female classmate were drawings of her profile and side angles…none of them or at least very few of them were of her face from the front view…That's when it clicked…Nathanael was shy…he didn't want her, Marinette, to know that he likes her…

"Lila!" I jumped at the sound of my name and instinctively threw the black sketchbook on the desk and covered it with random pieces of paper.

"Yeah! I'm in your room!" I said as soon as I made sure Nathanael couldn't see the sketchbook.

"Oh there you are. Well come on let's go, I can't wait for this new movie." Nathanael said with excitement.

"Yeah…movie time…" I said with fake enthusiasm, guilt started to form…

"Okay what did you do?" My eyes bulged out…Nathanael was as sharp as ever.

"I didn't do anything!" I said defensively. Nathanael folded his arms and raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Lila…" he said knowingly, waiting for me to answer. I looked down at the ground sheepishly…

"…Well…I…kind of went through your stuff…" I said vaguely….hoping he wouldn't interrogate me further.

"You what!"

I flinched when he rose his voice…I knew Nathanael hated it when anyone invaded his privacy or messed with his stuff…which made my guilt only worsen…because I knew he wouldn't like me snooping through his stuff and yet I did it anyway.

"…I'm sorry…I was just cleaning up that's all…I mean you had mountains of papers and crumbled paper balls on the ground…I just thought I'd tidy up…" That was the truth…

"Lila…What did you do?" He asked again more sternly this time…

"S-so while I was cleaning up, I _accidently_ found your sketchbook filled to the brim with sketches of Marinette…" I said sheepishly…I felt bad…I mean I wasn't technically lying….I looked up at Nathanael thinking I would see him red with rage instead his face went pale….

"I'm sorry what…" he asked in slight disbelief.

"You know…that black sketchbook…"

"Lila! You invaded my privacy!" He shouted face red from anger? Embarrassment? Both?

"Did not! It was an accident!"

"Accident!? I know you Lila! Do you think I would be stupid enough to fall for your half lies?" I let my gaze fall to the ground…I just wanted the earth to swallow me whole…Nathanael let out a tired sigh… "Lila…I know you were just curious but it was still wrong of you to go through my stuff without my knowing…"

"…I know…I'm sorry…" I whispered out shamefully…a silence fell upon us…

"You owe me now you know."

"Huh?" I was so focused on staring at the ground in shame I hadn't realized Nathanael had transverse the space between us. I blinked in confusion. "Owe you what…?" I asked.

"Hmm…" He grabbed a long strand of my brown hair and lifted it towards his lips as he looked at me with half lidded eyes and a sly grin. "I think you know what you owe me..."

He came closer and I gulped nervously…I could feel his hot breath against my ear and I had to suppress a shiver.

"You owe me forty bucks for the movie tickets…" I felt an icy cold wind blow by and my eye twitched.

"God Dammit! Nathanael, don't do that! That's my thing!" I yelled embarrassed as I hit his shaking shoulders, he was laughing.

"Your face is really red."

"It's just hot in here!"

"Is it? Or am I just too hot to handle?" He replied cheekily… I flushed.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I whined…he just let out a laugh.

"Seriously though…You owe me for the movie tickets 'cause we probably won't make it in time to watch it now." Nathanael said as he finally controlled his laughter.

"How about a kiss, instead?" I asked playfully.

"Deal."

"Wha-"

His lips crashed on mine…I think my heart exploded…It was a short chaste kiss and I pulled away quickly face flushed…The kiss probably didn't even last a second.

"I-I didn't mean it!" I shouted in embarrassment. Nathanael just smiled that all too innocent smile of his.

"I know…But I wanted to steal a kiss…"

"N-Nathanael…" My heart was beating fast…was this a confession…?

"I also stole your wallet." I checked my pockets to find that my wallet was indeed missing… _How the fuck..?_ And before I could even say anything Nathanael made a mad dash towards the stairs.

"God dammit! You thief get back here! You little piece of shit!" I shouted as I cashed after him around the house. I was so glad his parents were out on some business trip. Because I was screaming my head off as I chased after the redhead like a bull does towards a red cape.

When I finally caught him we stood still for a few minutes before bursting out in laughter, our troubles forgotten.

"I still want my money though." I let out a groan of frustration. He just giggled. Note to self never invade Nathanael's privacy again…


	4. Yandere much?

**Hey Cupcake!**

 **Now I know what you're thinking. Where's the next chapter for Illusions and Illustrations? Well...it's sort of done but it's a realllllly short chapter, so I was planning on either adding more to it or waiting until I finish the chapter after this one. And BTW these chapter, the one-shots and such were pre-written. So I have a good amount that are just waiting to be uploaded, but i'm saving those cause if I feel like I'm taking too long to update my main story I'll give you guys an update on these side storied just so you can have some content. Anyway here yo go! Hope u understand!**

* * *

Lila was a good friend. She was loyal, caring, and kind….at least towards Nathanael…Ever since the two became friends they were practically inseparable. However, whenever Lila was around anyone else she was much colder and apathetic, the only exception to this rule was Rose and Juleka…and that was largely due to the fact that they were Nathanael's closest friends…besides Lila that is. Nathanael didn't think much about her over protection. He just thought that was just how she was.

She always was a little aggressive and temperamental….but what the class quickly realized was that these traits which lead to her aggression were blown out of proportion whenever Nathanael and a potential threat to Nathanael's safety were present. These 'threats' could range from harmless teasing and paper cuts to bullying and bruises. Whenever something threatened her 'tomato son' all her inhibition is thrown out the window and while the class is grateful to see Lila protecting one of their fellow classmates…they also are now more careful whenever they hang out with Nathanael…afraid of Lila's wrath.

But, it was always quite amusing to watch Lila protect Nathanael in an over the top manner especially when she 'protects' him from things he didn't need protection from. Her overbearing protection was quite suffocating and Nathanael was growing tired of being 'protected'. It was starting to get out of hand…and although sometimes he found the situation hilarious he also found it tiring...He didn't understand why Lila tried so hard to make him happy and keep him safe...It's not that he didn't enjoy being spoiled…it's just that he was growing slightly concerned…and he has a pretty good idea why he should be concerned…

* * *

"Hey, Nathanael!" Lila cried out.

"Yes..?" Nathanael asked curiously.

"I got us friendship bracelets!" Lila stated happily.

"Really!"

"Yeah let me put it on!"

"Ok." Nathanael said happily…his smile soon disappeared when he felt the cold metal of handcuffs on his skin. Lila had handcuffed them together….

"What do you think?"

"You got this idea off a vine didn't you?" Nathanael asked slightly amused. Lila's smile was all the answer he needed. He shook his head and laughed until he realized she lost the key. They were stuck like that the rest of the day...not that he minded.

* * *

"Come on! Are you chicken?!" Kim said trying to coax Nathanael into taking the dare.

"N-no!" Nathanael replied….

"Well then…" Kim continued hoping to egg him on. Nathanael seemed to ponder the options…he was about to agree when he saw Lila walking up from behind Kim.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" She asked innocently as she placed her arm around Nathanael's shoulders.

"Well Nathanael here was about to accept my dare, right?" Kim said…he knew Nathanael's pride would make him agree.

"What kind of dare?" Lila asked suspiciously.

"W-well I still haven't agreed s-so…" Nathanael said softly. Kim interrupted him…Lila thought that was very rude.

"You see I dared him to-."

"No." Lila stated blandly.

"You didn't let me finish." Kim whined. Lila didn't seem to care. She gave a cold glare.

"I don't care." Kim flinched slightly before walking away with a frown.

"Geez…So mean…." He mumbled under his breath. Lila smiled when he left.

"Y-you didn't have to do that…" Nathanael mumbled.

"Sure I did. He was forcing you to do something you didn't want to do. I had every right to intervene." Lila explained. "Now come on I'm hungry let's go get some ice cream. I'm buying!" Nathanael sighed before following behind her, making sure to keep close to her side.

* * *

"Ow!" Nathanael winced slightly; he got a papercut…what a bother he thought.

"Oh my god! Are you ok?" Lila asked with a worried filled voice.

"Huh..? Oh yeah it's just a papercut…" Nathanael said innocently; lifting up his index finger to show the light ruby red line of his cut.

"Here let me see it."

"Lila what ar-." She gingerly took his hand and began sucking on his index finger. He froze…then he quickly pulled his hand away. "LILA! Why…I-I d-don't what I…" He was beyond flustered.

"What I heard if you suck a papercut it helps dull the pain." Lila said innocently. Then a grin formed on her face, that evil grin of hers. "Oh…you naughty boy~"

"SHUT UP!...I-I wasn't it isn't l-l-like that…" Lila just laughed at Nathanael's inability to form sentences.

* * *

He was being followed…He was being followed by three random guys one with dirty blonde hair, a brunette, and a guy with greasy black hair. Nathanael tried to shake them off…but in the end he was cornered by them and he let out a weak 'what do you want…'

"You know you don't look like a guy." The blonde guy said. Nathanael whimpered as he backed himself to the wall in fear.

"No but you make a real pretty girl." The blackhead guy said. Nathanael wanted to run away and hide under his blankets with the curtains drawn and the door locked. He hated this he felt sick to his stomach…

"Hey I just complimented you! Look at me!" The black haired guy shouted.

Nathanael did the opposite he bowed his head and looked at his shoes…hoping they would go away if he ignored them…That wasn't the case. This action just made them irritated. Nathanael let out a gasp when he felt the hard wall colloid with his back. The black haired guy had shoved him into the wall and was roughly holding onto his shoulder. He winced from the pain. His head shot up and his eyes widened with fear. Seeing this made the guy grin.

"Fear's a nice look on you."

"…Leave me alone…please…." Nathanael mumbled quietly which just caused the other guys to start laughing at the boy's meek attempt of begging.

"I don't think you're in a position to order us around." The brunette said haughtily.

"He's not, I am." The three guys turn to the source of the voice….It's Lila!

"Who the fuck are you?" the black haired guy asked.

"Doesn't matter. Now let him go." Her eyes were narrowed done and were sharp and cold hiding the burning fire of rage underneath a sheet of cold ice.

"Haha…and what are you going to do about it, little lady?" the yellow haired guy asked mockingly.

"Watch." Lila coolly replied as she threw her purse in the air.

The guy focused his attention on the purse which allowed Lila to attack. She punched him square in the jaw with a right hook then a left hook before kicking him in the stomach causing him to lose his balance and stumble backwards onto the ground in surprise. She didn't stop there. She straddled him and kept punching him over and over and over and over again. The other two guys couldn't move…or didn't want to move…they were caught in the infamous bystander effect were all they could do was watch. Finally Lila stopped punching him; she got up and she kicked him in the gut a few times for good measure. Nathanael felt a twinge of satisfaction as he watched her beat the guy up.

"If I see any of you come near him again I'll do the same thing to all of you. Do I make myself clear?!"

"y-yes…" they mumbled…

"YES WHAT!"

"Yes Ma'am!" They shouted in unison with clear fear

"Good! NOW SCRAM!" They ran off.

"Cowards." Lila sneered. "You okay Nathanael?" She asked gently as she made her way towards the redhead.

"I…guess….though my shoulder hurts…"

"Let me see." Lila pulled down the sleeve of his shirt to look at the damage…good news he didn't dislocate his shoulder bad news there was still a nasty bruise from where the guy held him. "Those savages…" she mumbled angrily…

"L-Lila…Thank you…"

"Don't thank me yet…come on I probably have a first aid kit somewhere at my house…" Nathanael nodded numbly… "Hey don't let those idiots get to you." Lila said reassuringly.

"I know…i-it's just…do you…do you think I look like a girl…?" He asked softly…

"Does it matter? Boy, Girl I couldn't care less I still love you either way…" Nathanael smiled slightly with a pink blush…Lila decided to take it one step further. "Beside you got one hella sexy male voice I'd fuck you, shota guys for the win, am I right?" He flushed a bright red.

"Why do you make me feel embarrassed? You don't even watch anime…" he mumbled embarrassed…

"Because you look good in red." Lila replied playfully.

"Shut up…" He mumbled weakly as they made their way towards Lila's house…

Those were the times he was really grateful for Lila's over protectiveness. But, she seems to be seeing Marinette as a threat now…she's become more aggressive towards her…and Nathanael thinks he's figured it out. He wants to confront Lila about her problem before she ends up beating Marinette up.

"Lila…"

"Yes Nathanael?" Lila responded as she combed her fingers through his red hair. They were currently in his room watching some show….or whatever Lila didn't really care much for the show, she cared more about the boy laying on her lap.

"You're a fucking yandere." There was a brief silence…

"What the fucks a Yandere?" Lila asked genuinely confused. Nathanael laughed

* * *

BONUS:

He got up from her lap.

"Nothing…"

He didn't mind if she was slightly over protective…because he also noticed something about himself…When it came down to it…he was pretty freaking Yandere for her to…he remembered he managed to scare off a good amount of admirers away…He never did any physical confrontations…unlike Lila who threatened any possible love rivals away he was more subtle with his jealously. All he had to do was tell Lila he didn't like them or sometimes he'd lie and say they tried to tease him and just like that they were out of picture. Whenever Lila glared at them with disgust he gave himself a mental pat in the back.

"Nathanael what the fuck is a Yandere?!" Lila asked…her curiosity taking over her…she never heard of the term. Nathanael just waved it off.

"Some word that means love sick or whatever…" He said vaguely…even though he knew what it actually meant.

"Love sick…? Is it like a French verb to describe being in love or something?"

"Yeah sure why not? Here let me use an example. I'm totally Yandere for you, Lila." She flushed and he felt his heart skip a beat…only he could get a reaction like that from Lila.

"I-I'm Yandere for you too…" She mumbled quietly refusing to look him in the eye as she confessed.

"I already knew that."

"W-what?!"

"It was kind of obvious." Lila covered her beet red face in shame, was she really that obvious…? Nathanael laughed and kissed her cheek lovingly causing Lila's face to turn the same shade of red as his hair. "Now you don't have to worry about Marinette….or anyone else for that matter. Because I'm only yours…as long as you're only mine…" He whispered in her ear lovingly as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"That sounds like a mighty good offer." Lila stated and then she leaned in closer to his face. He felt a shiver run down his spine as his heart rate increased. "Wanna seal it with a kiss?" She asked foxily with that devious grin of hers. He could only nod dumbly and with his consent the rift between them was closed once then twice and then a few more times.


	5. Bet

Another boring day of school Lila thought idly as she walked beside Nathanael. The sun was fixed high above their heads blaring down its rays of light and the wispy clouds of cotton could barely hide the golden disk's radiance. Nathanael and Lila just got out of school and were making their way down the streets of Paris to the louvre. They hadn't gone in a while and it was a nice place to do homework, besides Lila thought, its Nathanael's favorite place.

They were in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre. It wasn't as crowded in there as the two other wings largely due to the fact that none of the 'big name' works of art were located there. Nonetheless, it still contained many treasures. Lila loved staring at the architecture in awe. Nathanael loved doing this to, but he found Lila a much more interesting subject to draw; the way her eyes were shining brightly in awe the curve of her back as she hunched over staring at the many treasures the Richelieu wing contained. The way her hair fell past her shoulders and her gentle features. She was very much his muse. He loved drawing her; _oh shit was that creepy…._ Nathanael thought panicky…. Lila caught his gaze from the corner of her eyes and looked down to see he was drawing her or at the very least drawing someone who looked very much like her. Nathanael flushed and tried to cover up his sketch… _I should have asked…now she probably thinks I'm a creep…_

"I have bigger breast than that, be accurate." Nathanael flushed a bright red and covered his face with his hands. Lila laughed.

"…I'm sorry…you probably think I'm a creep…" Nathanael mumbled in embarrassment his words muffled by his hands.

"No way, man! I'm really flattered. Besides I thought you were a creep way before I realized you were drawing me without permission!"

"Oh wow…thanks, that _really_ makes me feel a whole lot better." Nathanael replied sarcastically. Lila laughed; she stood up and placed her hand on her hips as she arched her back, puckering her lips.

"Draw me like one of your French girls." She said in a terrible French accent. Nathanael burst out laughing. He laughed so hard a few tears began to prickle in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm actually surprised you haven't said that to me before."

"I was showing restrain, plus I was waiting for the perfect time to use that joke..."

"Wow. Just wow. I'm speechless." Nathanael said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I tend to have that effect on guys." Lila replied playfully. Nathanael just rolled his eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Hey! It true! You may not believe this Nathanael but there are many guys who find me _very_ attractive _._ " Lila stated confidently.

"Yeah, yeah" Nathanael said waving it off. Lila frowned in irritation and huffed out in annoyance.

"I'm also very good at manipulation I bet I could make you real angry just by saying a few words. I could totally mess with your brain." She stated pointing at her head for emphasizes.

"Sure you can…"

"Do you doubt me?"

"Yes. I bet you can't do any of the things you previously said."

"Wanna make due on that bet?" Nathanael raised a curious eyebrow.

"Very well then…What are you willing to bet?" Nathanael inquired.

"Twenty Euros."

"Fine. Then let's set some guidelines first."

"Very well. What do you propose?" Lila asked.

"Get three guys to confess to you." Nathanael said.

"Done." Lila stated confidently.

"Make me angry." Nathanael continued.

"Cool." Lila agreed.

"You have to win a bet with Kim."

"Huh…? Why…?" Lila asked confused.

"If you can win a bet against Kim that shows that you are indeed cunning and you don't rely on luck, Kim is like the ultimate conman when it comes to making bets." Nathanael explained.

"Very well."

"Get me to kiss you." Lila's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, what was that again…?"

"You heard me. If you are a true seductress and goddess of femininity this shouldn't be a difficult task, yes?"

"W-well it's just…."

"Just what…?"

"It's nothing! I'll have you begging me to kiss you!" Nathanael flushed at her bold words but rolled his eyes… _Only Lila_ he thought in amusement _as if_ he would ever beg her for anything, much less a kiss.

"You have to do this all in three days." He said.

"Three days!?" Lila exclaimed.

"Oh…that's not going to be a problem….is it…?" Nathanael asked coyly with a grin. Lila forced a smile.

"No…Not at all."

"Then do we have a deal?" Nathanael asked as he held out his hand.

"Deal!" Lila exclaimed as she shook his hand confidently.

''I'll be expecting my money by the end of the three days." Nathanael stated with a cocky grin. Lila stuck her tongue out.

LINE BREAK

Day one: First things first get three guys to confess to me…

I pondered on how I was going to complete such a feat…in three days no less…Well Nathanael didn't state any real regulations as to what a 'confession' could be. For instance if she got them to admit their attraction towards her that would totally fit under the category of a confession, which should make things easier…Let the flirting begin…

LINE BREAK

"Hey, Ariel."

My eye twitched when I heard Lila call me that….she knew I hated being called that…I looked up and my face started to heat up…she was really cute in pigtails… _Get a hold of yourself this is what she wants you to think! Why else would she wear pigtails, she knows your preference and she's using it against you!_

"What are ya drawing there?" She asked innocently.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. She seemed to be acting awfully calm for someone on a tight schedule…She looked down at my sketchbook.

"Oh wow it's really pretty." She commented. _What are you planning?_ "Who is it?" I started gripping my pencil tightly.

"No one." I replied dryly.

"Can you draw me something?" I gritted my teeth and started twirling my pencil.

"Like what?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"I don't know…just something…." I took a deep breath... "Here let me just look through your sketchbook."

She roughly snatched my sketchbook from me and started flipping through the pages idly. I twirled my pencil faster as I held in a snarl.

"Oh wow you're really good, these are really good….is it Anime?" My pencil went flying off in a random direction as I grunted out a 'no.' "You're not getting mad are you, Ariel?" I forced a smile

"Of course not why would I get mad." I responded. Lila just smiled that fake smile of hers.

"Oh okay just checking. Anyway I came to tell you I need to take a raincheck today." I blinked, anger forgotten.

"Huh? B-but I thought we were going to study together like we normally do…"

"Oh yeah….well you know something came up…" Lila said slightly apologetically.

"Oh okay…" I said slightly dejected…I wonder what came up….

"Hey, Lila, ready to go to the movies?" I looked at the new voice. I don't recognize him from any of my classes. He had short curly brown hair and grey eyes; his face was covered in freckles. Who was this guy….movies…?

"Movies…?" I asked out loud….

"Oh yeah hold on a minute I'll catch up." The guy nodded and walked away.

"You're ditching me for a random guy!" I shouted.

"Hey he's a cute random guy…and it's called dating…He said he thought I was pretty and he asked me out on a date and I agreed. Don't get mad."

"I'm not mad!" I said defensively….

"Good. Now I'll see you later." She said blandly and walked off with a cute smile on her face as she talked with whoever the fuck that guy was…

I felt something stir in my chest…I think I was just sad I got abandoned for some random guy…I'm actually quite impressed Lila was able to already get a confession…though I guess I shouldn't be…As much as I deny it I knew my best friend was very attractive…I'm beginning to worry that I'll lose the bet…

LINE BREAK

Its day two….Lila was currently standing in the middle of a small crowd of male students. Nathanael frowned….he was left behind again. _Why is she hanging out with those pigs, they only like her for her body…._ He thought bitterly. Lila wasn't spending as much time with him as she normally does. In fact she practically ignores him now, giving all her attention to random male strangers she finds attractive. That really made Nathanael's blood begin to boil. He didn't like the way they looked at her…as if she were just some piece of meat. He didn't like when she would smile at them, those smiles were fake. He didn't like how he was feeling right now. It was a horrible feeling; it was a burning sensation in his stomach that spread across his body like wildfire. He still wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he didn't like it, for now he just called it annoyance filled anger. That day Lila gave him another raincheck.

"Can I take a raincheck today?" She asked again. He pouted.

"You took one yesterday." He replied glumly.

"Yeah well I'm taking one today to, I'm going to the mall with this real cutie, with red hair...Guess what his name is…it's Ariel~" His fist clenched unconsciously.

"…Okay…" He mumbled…She smiled at him.

"Thanks you're the best, Super Nath!" He sighed….

"…whatever…"

Day three was here… _Finally!_ _Now Lila doesn't have to pretend to like those guys…._ Nathanael thought in relief….at least he hoped she didn't like those guys…He's never had to worry about Lila leaving him for some guy because she was always by his side…perhaps he took that for granted. In any case as soon as this day was over he would win the bet. Lila only got two guys to confess to her and as far as Nathanael knew she still hasn't even made a bet with Kim. He can't let his guard down, however. Knowing Lila she probably had some elaborate plan up her sleeve and right know…Nathanael was balancing on the verge of exploding into a fit of jealous rage….Yes _jealous_ rage….he was jealous…It only took him two days to finally name the feeling that was burning his insides. He knew if he heard one more guy flirting with Lila he could very well lose it.

"Hey, Ariel!" Lila greeted.

"Hey…" He mumbled quietly, he didn't even bother getting mad at the nickname.

"Something wrong?"

"No." He replied blandly. Lila didn't ask, whether because she didn't catch his sad tone or because she didn't want to pry, the latter was more probable.

"Oh okay…Well I just came to tell you, you know that hottie Leo, the tall blonde one with ocean blue eyes."

Nathanael nodded solemnly already knowing where this was going…He's never met this Leo…but right now he decided he hates the guy's guts.

"Well…guess who's going on a date!" She replied happily….The burning feeling died down replaced by a cold emptiness… "Anyway I just came to tell you I won't be able to come over today, Leo and I are going to the Louvre together, it was Leo's idea he's very romantic." She cooed.

That was the final straw. Nathanael stood up and snarled. Fire reignited.

"The Louvre…! You're taking that….that asshole to OUR place we're WE hang out?!" He exclaimed eyes filled with red hot jealously.

"It's a public place Nathanael…" She replied coolly.

That ticked him off…all those moments they shared, their smiles, their laughs, their witty conversations….did they mean nothing to her?! The louvre was where they would always go after school just the two of them…it was sacred….and she was taking some random hot guy there for a pity date?!

"You're acting odd, come talk to me when you're normal again. I'm going to the Louvre!" She said as she began walking off. He grabbed her wrist. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I…I can't let you go with that guy…" Nathanael said firmly.

"Why not…? Don't tell me you're jealous~" She teased…Nathanael flushed….because he was jealous….

"Yes…" He mumbled….

There was a brief silence that unnerved him…he let his gaze fall to the ground and he wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow him whole…Lila wasn't his….Lila wasn't property…Lila was her own person….He had no right to be jealous…and yet he was. _Oh god…I messed up, I messed up, I messed up big time…she probably hates me…!_

"Nathanael…" She cooed out softly, just hearing her say his name like that made a shiver run down his spine.

"L-Lila…" He replied shakily as he felt her soft hand caress his cheek, lifting his head up so he could look into her olive eyes.

He gulped. She leaned in close. His heart started beating rapidly as he practically shook in her hold. Her ghostly lips hovering right above his, so close yet so far… The distance between them was small but it was still there….She tilted her head slightly to the left and grazed her soft lips against his, his heart was beating fast and his face flushed. She was so close he could smell the sweet cinnamon smell wafting of her person.

"L-Lila…please…" He begged meekly his knees going weak from their close proximity, but it wasn't close enough…he wanted to kiss her…but even after he begged she didn't move…She just gazed into his eyes occasionally stealing a glance down at his lips.

"Please what…" He let out a groan of frustration…

"Are you really going to make me say it?" He mumbled embarrassed. Lila just stared at him with those pretty eyes of hers….he cracked. "P-Please…kiss me…." He croaked out desperately wanting to do nothing more than to seal the distance between them.

"No." Nathanael's eyes went wide and his heart shattered, his whole body seemed to be shaking. "You kiss me…" She replied with a grin…. _Is this a part of her plan….!? If I kiss her do I lose the bet?!_

"Nathanael…, please kiss me…" she whispered lovingly, licking her lips indistinctly as a light blush spread across her face. _Screw the bet!_ He softly crashed his lips onto hers and poured his whole being into the kiss. His arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her neck as he stood on his tippy toes Lila wrapped her arms around his torso holding him steady. Warm. Was the one feeling he could register everything else was just a jumbling mess. He wanted to convey his feelings.

 _Don't leave me. Please._ Was what he was saying.

Lila smiled as she kissed him back. _I won't…._

The kiss was short, sweet, and slightly awkward but it was enough to make both their hearts soar with happiness.

"Nathanael…" Lila whispered lovingly.

"Hmm…." Nathanael responded slightly dazed from the kiss.

"You owe me twenty euros." She stated blandly.

"W-What!"

"Yeah. Both you and Kim owe me twenty Euros." She replied with a satisfied grin.

"K-Kim?" Nathanael asked confused.

"Yeah I made a bet with Kim. He said I couldn't get you to kiss me of your own free will by tomorrow, I bet I could."

"S-so…"

"It's called a hustle, honey." Nathanael's face burned with embarrassment and anger largely stemming from the fact that he was played. "Aw…Don't look so sad…" Lila replied reassuringly as she placed her hand gently on his right cheek, placing a small peck on his left cheek. "I really meant it, you know…" She whispered quietly in his ear…

"S-so the other guys…?" He asked nervously.

"Nothing more than a means to an end….I even made Leo up!"

"B-but the bet said you had to get three guys to confess to you!"

"Yeah and they did! Freckles, Ariel, and you." Nathanael just stood there flabbergasted.

"I thought of everything!" Lila said haughtily with a victorious smile. Nathanael pouted. Lila saw this and she thought of a way to make him feel better.

"Hey, I have a special offer just for you!"

"Offer..?" Nathanael asked as he looked up at her glumly.

"Instead of twenty euros I want twenty kisses." Nathanael smiled and interlocked their fingers together as he stood on his tippy toes.

"Deal."


	6. Bully

Ch 6 bully

The school day was over and Lila was making her way home. A dark cloud loomed over her, casting a long shadow of despair. The one word that kept nagging at her was liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar….The raincloud up above her darkened and electric sparks began to flicker through the cloud's soft body. She gritted her teeth in anger….she hated the school, hated the people…hated Ladybug and the city she tries to 'save'. No city is ever worthy of saving. Lila thought solemnly. What with the crime, murder, and kidnappings etc. Paris is no different from any other filthy city the only difference is Paris can easy disguise its flaws with architectural beauty and 'cultural class'. She was about to turn up the blaring sound of her headphones when she heard something off in the distance. It sounded like muffled punches and gasps of pain.

Lila didn't want trouble; she wasn't one to risk her own safety for anyone else's but right now she had. had enough of bottling up her rage. If she could get called a hero while letting out some pent up frustration then that's just a bonus. But, it's not like she's that cold….she could hear the painful pleas and the shouts of anger from the attacker….This wasn't a mugging…it was bullying and Lila would not stand for it…She may be untrustworthy and selfish….but she wasn't a bully and she hates anyone who would undermine anyone to make themselves feel better, that's why she hates Ladybug in her mind Ladybug isn't anything more than a glorified flawed human that bullies middle schoolers whenever she finds them using her image to gain friends…well maybe getting upset over being downgraded to a pick up line would warrant some anger…but still she didn't have to go bat shit ballistic on her…she could have come to her privately and tell her she didn't like being used as a pick up line…Ladybug could have been less harsh and more reasonable….in any case… the sounds of pain were getting louder.

She speed walk towards the cries and armed herself with a nearby bottle she picked up from the end of the alleyway. She turned the corner swiftly and wasn't surprised to find punks from her school…she didn't recognize them but judging from their height they were probably a grade or two higher than she. She shouted to gain there attention.

"Hey three against one doesn't seem fair now does it?!" They turned to face her. One of them seemed to recognize her.

"Oh well will you look at that it's the fake hero, Super liar! What are you going to do play your flute?!" He said mockingly. Lila gripped the bottle's neck tightly.

"We can't let you go now…after all we can't have any LIE-abilities!" Another guy said howling with laughter at his own pun. Lila growled snarling her teeth like a fox.

"Shut up!" She growled.

"Oh careful she's a feisty fox." The third guy commented. They had all forgotten about their victim… _I guess that's a good thing hopefully if they're smart enough they'll make a run for it_. Lila thought.

"Yeah and you know what, this fox doesn't play games." She said with cold murderous intent as she smashed the bottle on the wall causing the bottle to shatter. She held up the jagged glass end of the bottle up like a knife the sun's light glinting dangerously on the sharp points of glass.

"W-wow put that thing down…" A guy said as he put his hands up in surrender clearly nervous now that she held a potential weapon.

"Move it or I'll kill you!" She threatened.

"Do you think we're scared off a broken bottle!?"

"W-well Dan I'm kinda of scared…"

"Shut up, Jack!" Dan shouted.

With no second thoughts Lila ran straight for them, they stumbled backwards clearly surprised that Lila meant it when she said 'move it or I'll kill you'.

"Y-You're crazy! Come on guys…"

They scurried off their tails in-between their legs like cowardly dogs. Lila knew they would run as soon as a real danger presented itself. She glared at their fleeting silhouettes. She glanced down at the ground where a boy laid face down covered in dirt, blood, and bruises his long brightly red hair was disheveled and dirty.

"Hey kid! Get up." Lila said harshly. The boy slowly and painfully picked himself up shaking slightly in post terror; he weakly gave a quiet thank you. She looked around at the mess those jerks left behind. A tortured young boy and torn pages from his sketchbook, some wet and disintegrated from landing on dirty puddles. The boy tried to pick them up his finger shaking. Lila's heart softened. She bent down and started picking up the shreds of paper.

"Here…" She said softly as she handed a stack of crumbled papers or what was left of them back to the boy.

The redhead flinched… _Wow….they really missed him up…That or he's scared of me..._ She thought...but it seemed more likely he was still spooked from the jumping after all they had also torn pieces of clothes off and left a crudely shaped black paint butterfly on the front of his shirt and his upper face…the paint now smeared with his tears…

"Wow they really missed you up." She said out loud without thinking….

"You don't say." He replied with a shaky smile….She was slightly taken aback by his sarcastic replay.

"What ya do to get their panties in a twist…?" Lila asked. The boy was small and he didn't seem like the type to start fights….in fact he looked familiar…but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

"Nothing…w-well…it was…it was the butterfly…"

"Butterfly…?"

"I didn't want to…I didn't do anything wrong I swear! I just wanted to be loved; I wanted to be a hero! B-but everyone hates me…" He started to cry….Lila's heart shattered…

"Welcome to the club…" She said solemnly as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Can I return my membership?" He said jokingly. Lila blinked and then she started laughing...

"Haha...no sorry you're stuck with me…" Lila managed to say through her laughter. _This kid just got beat up and he can still crack a joke_ … "Come on kid let's get you cleaned up!"

"T-thank you so much…you're a real hero…" Lila's stopped laughing and let out a hollower giggle as a sad smile made its way onto her face.

"I'm not a hero…I'm just someone who can't stand bullies….and who has a weak spot for redheads." She added the last part to lift up both their moods. He flushed and tucked a few of his misplaced red hair strands behind his ears as he sheepishly smiled.

"uhhh..Thanks I guess…"

"Here get on my back." Lila said.

"I-I don't want to be a burden…" He mumbled….

"Hey us rejected heroes gotta stick together." He smiled and got on her back carefully so as to not hurt himself anymore. "Oh wow you're lighter than I thought…How much do you weigh..?" She asked as she started walking out of the alleyway and headed towards her house…they had some first aid kits in the laundry room.

"H-hey it's rude to ask someone's weight." She laughed when he said that.

"Kid you're a real gem."

"Thanks but stop calling me a kid…I'm the same age as you…"

"What…?" Lila asked in surprised.

"Yeah we go to the same school…" That's when it clicked.

"Oh you're the art dweep!" he pouted.

"I don't like being called a dweep." He mumbled.

"Well then Ariel what's your name?"

"Nathanael….My name's Nathanael…what's yours?"

"Lila…My name's Lila…" Lila…that was a pretty name he thought…his heart started to beat a bit faster now…Guess it was only typical for him to fall for his savior…

* * *

BOUNS:

The next day he wouldn't stop following her around like a lost puppy dog.

"Are you still following me…?" Lila asked. She knew she was being watched, but as long as it was Nathanael she didn't really mind…

"…no…" Came a soft reply…she laughed.

"Stop following me and come here and walk beside me." Nathanael quickly complied with a small smile.

"…You don't mind…?" He asked softly. Lila wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Like I said before us, rejected heroes, got to stick together…Plus I have a weak spot for redheads..." Nathanael blushed and his smile grew. "Expect Sabrina she's a tool." Lila added dryly. Nathanael stifled a giggle.

* * *

 **That's it for today. I'm sorry I haven't updated anything. But I'm out of ideas...and I'm SUPER lazy. But oh before I forget if you guys like this paring you should check out a story called Illusions and illustrations on the Archive. It's really good I liked it. Or you could also check out 'What go around come around...' I believe that was the name it's also on the Archive anyway hope your having a good day I got to go and do stuff...BYE!**


	7. Protective

Ch 7 possessive

 **I'M NOT DEAD! YAY! kind of feel like it tho...cause 2016 just wow...um...so...about...illusions and illustrations... uhhh hahahah...HaHahaHAHAHAHAAHHH it's gone...my inspiration... it's dead...I had a funeral and everything...IDK but i would advice you to not get your hopes up for an update on that story any time soon...sorry...really I am... Also BTW this is genderswapped because why not/**

* * *

Nathalie was Lyle's. No ifs, buts, what's, no nothing. If anyone dared to question this simple fact they would have to face the jealous wrath of Lyle. They weren't sure when Lyle and Nathalie started weaving their romantic ties together…it was fairly unclear where their red string of fate was first started. But, it was definitely before Clove's party, because by that time both Nathalie and Lyle participated in innocent couple like gestures like holding hands, kissing each other's cheeks, playing with their lover's hair, etc. Perhaps it was safe to say it started when both Nathalie and Lyle were paired up for an art assignment.

It didn't really matter when they started having romantic relations all that really mattered was that they made their relationship public or at least common knowledge among the school population. However, there were still some blockheads who didn't get the memo or merely believed the fact that Nathalie was Lyle's to be hyped up gossip or just a flat out lie. These idiots still believed that Nathalie and Lyle were single and up for grabs. After all the sole fact that Lyle was a flirt led many to believe he never had a girlfriend for longer than a week before he got a new one. Nathalie was different and that became apparent a few weeks after their artistic collaboration together.

"Hey there little red~" Lyle said seductively as he leaned against the wall gazing down at the petite redhead girl.

"Oh! Uh…H-hey Lyle…Is there something you need…Oh! That's right!" She suddenly exclaimed as she dug around her satchel pulling out an elegant orange fountain pen. "T-thanks for letting me use your pen!" She said innocently…Lyle took it with a slight surprised look on his face…it seemed Nathalie wasn't quite understanding her situation.

"Your welcome….I guess…"

"H-Hey you're pretty good at flirting…right?" She asked meekly…embarrassed by her own question. Lyle smirked.

"You could say that…though I only flirt with certain special people that catch my eye." He said flashing her a charming smile hoping that she would pick up on the hint that when he said 'special people' he meant her.

"That's got to be at least half the school population." She stated bluntly….she immediately regretted it as she slapped a hand over her mouth… "I-I'm sorry I didn't…" She didn't get to finish her sentence because Lyle started chucking. "W-what' so funny?" She asked confused.

"Who would have known the little tomato has thorns." He said in-between chuckles.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry it just came out I-I didn't mean…!" Lyle laid a reassuring hand on her head.

"It's fine, so what is it you were asking me before…?"

"W-well it just…You know Marin…?" She asked shyly… He nodded in response waiting for her to continue her sentence. "I…uh…you see I-I'm not good at…courting s-someone…a-and I get really nervous when I'm with him…s-so..."

"Oh, I see, you want some tips on flirting." She nodded in response her cheeks a light pink. "Hate to burst your bubble little red but Marin only has eyes for a certain blonde model." Lyle said bluntly.

His words were like a sharp blade that pierced through the fragile girl's heart…The truth hurt…it hurt like a bitch…Nathalie already knew Marin had eyes for only one girl…and that girl wasn't her…but hearing it from someone else just hurt all the more…She looked at the ground sadly hoping it would swallow her up…

"Hey, hey it's okay Ariel…If it cheers you up I know a guy who thinks you're really cute." She just sighed.

"Who...? You…? Thanks…but no thanks…I'm not an accessory." She said coldly as she made her way towards her next class.

"Let the flirting begin." Lyle thought happily as he watched the pretty redhead walk away from him.

Throughout his courtship of the red head it became more and more obvious how determined he was to make Nathalie like him.

"You have really pretty red hair." Lyle complimented as he gently ran his fingers through her long strands of red hair.

"Uh…thanks…" Nathalie said awkwardly, uncomfortable by the close contact and was slightly unsure of how to accept the compliment.

"And really pretty sea foam eyes….You remind me of Ariel….Though she isn't as nearly as pretty as you my dear~"

"…. Don't call me Ariel I'm Nathalie PS I hate the movie." She said shutting him down before he could continue with his pickup line.

He would get depressed rather quickly whenever she refused his advances and the few times she accepted his gifts or compliments his face would flush and he would have a stupid grin on his face the rest of the day.

"What's this…?" Nathalie said curiously as she inspected the wrapped medium sized square box.

"It's a gift…Look I even wrapped it with a purple ribbon…I know that's your favorite color, I got your number~" Lyle said flirtatiously with a wink.

She rolled her eyes but truthfully she was surprised he actually knew her favorite color. She opened the gift and looked inside. There was an art sketchbook, charcoal pencils, and the third studio album by Magma, MKD. Nathalie was stunned. She wasn't surprised by the art supplies…really she must have hundreds of used and non-used art supplies that were also given to her as gift, what did surprise her though was the CD album…Magma was one of her favorite bands she always liked to listen to as she created her art…

"How did you know I listen to Magma…?" She asked curiously…

"Well I remember you wearing at least two shirts with the Magma symbol on it…I just assumed you liked the group enough to buy merchandise." Lyle said.

Nathalie's eyes grew wide and a soft pink colored blush dusted her cheeks…No one's ever paid that much attention to her before…no one's bothered learning about her interests besides the obvious one, art. To think Lyle was able to expertly decipher her likes and dislikes just by merely looking at her and observing her…to be honest it was kind of creepy…but in an endearing way….

"T-thank you…I really like it…" She said softly with a kind smile and blush tinted cheeks. A gentle glowing aura surrounded her being making her glow with an ethereal beauty…It made Lyle's heart skip a beat. He blushed.

"Oh it's nothing…! You know I happen to know the Magmas! We're pretty tight!" He boasted, even though he was lying through his teeth.

"Lyle…"

"Yes…"

"Don't push it."

"…ok…"

It wasn't until Cloves started intervening did Lyle realize he genuinely wanted Nathalie to be his…and not in she's my territory kind of the way…It was more like a overprotective boyfriend kind of way were Lyle would gladly let Nathalie do what she pleased if she wanted to flirt with someone that was fine…(Well no its wasn't but he never got angry at Nathalie for doing it…though he's come to realize Nathalie never realizes she's flirting…which makes her all the cuter.) But if a guy tried flirting with her that was a whole different ball game. Every chance he got he would glare at the possible love rival…he would pull Nathalie to him, would wrap his arm around her, he would do everything in his power to create a rift between his precious angle and the hormone crazed boys. This did not go unnoticed by Nathalie…In fact one moment of these jealous outburst stood out amongst the rest because it involved physical confrontation.

"Hey there art dweep." Cloves said with a sneer as he looked down at the sitting redhead.

"What is it Cloves?" She asked coldly already wanting to leave the conversation.

"I never dated a redhead before."

"W-what?" She asked confused…and slightly disgusted at what he implied.

"And you are okay looking; maybe with some better clothes you could look somewhat desirable." He continued.

"H-Hey what's wrong with the way I dress?" She was starting to get agitated…She really, really hated Cloves…with a burning passion. She was about to rejected his 'advances' when she saw Lyle walk up behind Cloves with a dark intent.

"Hey Cloves…Can you maybe leave…" Nathalie said quietly…judging by the dark energy coming off of Lyle this could only end badly.

"Leave…? Listen here you should feel honored I'm even talking to you! I'm the hottest guy in this damn school!" He said haughtily.

"No like seriously leave…" Nathalie practically hissed as Lyle got closer...his facial feature morphing from an annoyed frown to an angry scowl.

"Hey are you a natural red head? One way to find out really so how about we-."

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he was roughly grabbed by the collar of his yellow jacket. Lyle wasn't planning on getting in a fight, he was just planning to lie and say he had some things to discuss with Nathalie or Adrienne needed Cloves…just anything to get Cloves away from Nathalie…but when he heard what Cloves was implying by asking Nathalie if she was a natural red head that was the last straw. His jealous anger broke through.

"H-Hey let go this cost more than your worth!" Cloves screeched. His voice was annoying.

The few people who were around had grown deadly quite as a tense atmosphere drowned them. No one dared move…No one liked Cloves, but no one dared lay a finger on the annoying blonde because his mother was the mayor…who knows what would happen if you tried to stand up to that jerk… Lyle raised his clenched fist and was about to knock the daylights out of the blonde when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned his face slightly to his left with an irritated scowl. Why was someone stopping him? Cloves was a jerk who dared protect him? He was just giving this jerk the punishment he deserves!

"Lyle, he's not worth the trouble." Nathalie gently scolded.

Lyle blinked and he quickly let go of Cloves. Nathalie then set her eyes on the blonde with a blank face.

"Sorry Cloves but I'm already Lyle's girl." Nathalie stated dryly.

"WHAT!" Both Lyle and Cloves shouted in surprise.

"R-Really?!" Lyle asked astonished. Was she just saying that so Cloves would leave her alone or did she really mean it?!

Cloves merely huffed out annoyed and tuned on his heel saying how he really didn't want to date her anyway, not when he could have Adrienne. Nathalie let out a sigh of relief once Cloves had gone away. Then she remembered Lyle. She turned to face him his eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated, cheeks flushed shoulders stiff he seemed to be awaiting an answer...it was unbelievable cute.

"Lyle?"

"Yes!"

"Tone it down a notch." Nathalie said playfully after gently placing a quick kiss on the boy's cheek.

"He had it coming he was messing with my girl."

"Didn't take you for the possessive type." She commented.

"Possessive is such a negative word though…I prefer protective." Lyle said with a smirk as he draped his arm over her shoulders.

"If it makes you feel better." She responded and there was a brief silence before she talked again. "By the way I was wondering…if you…t-there is this new exhibition they're having in the Louvre…I-I was wondering if maybe…." Her cheeks were flushed and she was staring at the ground. Lyle smiled and placed a quick kiss on Nathalie's flushed cheeks.

"Sure sounds like fun. It's a date." Nathalie smiled relieved...

* * *

"Why did you punch him?!" she exclaimed.

"He was looking at you funny! I didn't like it!" Lyle responded.

"Lyle!" Nathalie whined.

They got kicked out of the


	8. Best kisser

CH 8 Best kisser

 **Based on the head canon that Nathanael is actually a good kisser.**

* * *

The sun was sailing high in the clear blue sky. The bell for class had yet to ring and all the students where mingling amongst each other partaking in the chitter chatter of varying teenage topics. Lila would often toon them out more interested on the social updates on her phone then the latest teenage gossip. She did however hear snippets of information; occasionally some conversations would catch her interest. Currently Alya was teasing her best friend, Marinette. She couldn't really hear what they were talking about considering she was in the very last row furthest away from the blackboard whereas Marinette and Alya sat very near the blackboard but what she could make out were words like: Adrien, kiss, what you think, top five, type of, best, who?

From what Lila could infer from the limited words that she could hear was that Alya and Marinette were talking about who was the best kisser. Some of the other students seemed to have joined in on the conversation. Most exclaiming how they were the best kisser in the class others nominating each other. The question did get her thinking; who was objectively the best kisser in this class? She wanted to proclaim it was her, but…

"Hey Lila who do you think is the best kisser?" Alya suddenly asked seeing as the brunette was unusually quiet today…Alya thought Lila would have surely already loudly proclaim that she herself was the best kisser….but if Lila didn't nominate herself for best kisser who did she think was the best?

Lila considered just stating she was the best kisser…but that would be a lie…She knew who the best kisser was and he was currently passed out next to her; his innocent sleeping face completely contrasted her memory of what had happened to change her view on who she thought the best kisser was.

It happened last weekend in Chloe's party. Chloe was a grade A bitch but the girl was financially well off and she knew how to throw a fun party. Chloe had invited the whole school to come to her party; she wasn't really picky on who went just as long as they brought gifts and worshipped her. Lila had gone as well hoping to create good connections with fellow popular students who could boost her social status in regards to her school social standing.

Even though Chloe's hotel had abundant space to hold a good large number of people it still felt slightly crowded…After all the WHOLE school was there not just their classmates and not just students from their year. The theme you may ask…? It was rather obvious what the theme was…Ladybug….Everything was Ladybug inspired from the balloons to the food and even to the hostess herself, Chloe.

Chloe was wearing red pants, heeled black boots, a black crop top with red polka dots, ladybug earrings and red sunglasses which she stylishly kept on her head like a bow. She also carried around a large ladybug printed bag…it looked expensive…Lila assumed it was a brand name bag.

She herself had worn a black high waist flared skirt, a black tube crop top with a sweetheart neckline and white line pattern marks, black heeled boots, a red wool knitted cardigan, and a simple golden pendant necklace. She made her clothing choices very carefully after all, you got to play the part to be the part…Right?

The party was in full swing as the disco ball above broke the ever changing lights into millions of broken crystal ray shards. The music was loud and it seemed as though the music notes had intertwined with the particles in the air creating an ever present musical presence that drowned out the loud static generated by mindless chatter. She didn't know how but somehow someone convinced her to play a game of truth or dare. Perhaps she only agreed to it because Adrien was going to play to. (After all she never liked playing truth or dare; it was juvenile and things would get out of hand almost immediately…she didn't like not being in control…)

They were in a slightly less crowded corner of the hotel; most of the people in the corner were from their year. The people currently playing were as (previously mentioned) Adrien, Adrien's friend, Adrien's friend's girlfriend, Adrien's friend's girlfriend's friend, a redhead who looked like he really didn't want to be here and was ready to book it, a girl with bubblegum pink hair that was currently holding said redhead in place forcing him to play, an emo chick, a pixie girl, and the jock guy. Lila duly noted that the people playing were all fellow classmates…it was a good insight on how close knitted the students were with each other; fitting in and integrating herself into the classroom was going to be harder than Lila originally thought.

She sat down besides Adrien and Nino once the game started. The dares weren't overly perverted nor where they overly challenging...that was a good sign…A few people picked truth, that's good too because now Lila had more information about her fellow students. For example now she knew that in the third grade Nino drank an entire bottle of bubble soap and spent the rest of the day in the infirmary blowing chunks and occasionally bubbles. She knew the pixie girl, Rose, accidentally looked up the term 'cream pie' thinking it would show a recipe for an actual pie…it was not a recipe for a pie… Goth girl… (Lila couldn't remember her name) Secretly loves the color pink. The redhead, Nathanael, admitted he used to take ballet lesson when he was younger.

The thought alone of seeing Nathanael twirling and prancing around was funny and Lila couldn't help but snicker…after all the boy was tiny and he didn't look like much of a dancer not to mention the fact that the redhead seemed to be a wallflower which wasn't a good thing if you're going to put on a ballet performance. Luckily she wasn't the only one who found it amusing…meaning she didn't look like a jerk for laughing at the small tomato.

The game continued and things were starting to get interesting. Truths were being picked less and less seeing as most of the people here didn't want to spill any information that could possibly be used for blackmail. Right now it was Alix's turn. Nathanael had left the game to get some more punch. Nino had dropped out, he and Alya wanted to go dance on the dance floor. Rose didn't want to push her luck so she stopped playing when she felt the truths were becoming too personal and the dares to daring.

"So Ms. Lila…Chose your poison truth or dare?" Alix asked with an evil grin…

Lila thought about it….There was no way she was going to give them any leverage by giving them embarrassing information they would no doubt later use for blackmail. Lila understood how powerful knowledge could be and how, when used correctly, dangerous it could be as well.

"Dare." She said confidently just as Nathanael was coming back with his drink.

"I dare you to…" Alix began prolonging her sentence as she waited for Nathanael to start drinking his punch… "…kiss Nathanael."

Nathanael spat out his drink… _Good distance…_ Lila noted….before reality hit her like a ton of brick. She shouted 'what!'

"You can skip your turn!" Kim said slightly panicking. Unbeknownst to anyone else Alix and Kim made a bet…a bet that centered around the shy artist boy who was currently chocking on his fruity drink…

Lila thought about skipping her turn….but then she would look like a coward! She quickly looked at the guy she had to kiss….he wasn't bad looking, he was actually really cute, that was good…but he also wasn't her first choice….Now if it was Adrien that would be totally different….Lila was sure Adrien was a great kisser….She would love to kiss him but….She frowned….her pride would be the death of her…she thought bitterly….as she grabbed Nathanael by the collar of his shirt and roughly slammed her lips on his. Needless to say Nathanael was taken by surprise…he wasn't expecting her to actually kiss him…! Lila on the other hand just wanted to get it over with but at the same time… _I'm gonna show this boy what a real kisser is like!_ Lila thought smugly. Lila always liked to think highly of herself, she's probably the best kiss this guy was ever going to get.

The moment her soft lips made contact with his Nathanael froze into place. He wasn't exactly sure what to do…but…If this was how his first kiss was going to be like might as well give it his all….Gently he kissed her back, firmly pressing his lips against her warm ones…He didn't want to leave his hands just dangling on his sides…So he rose his arms up slowly, his hands sliding up from her elbows to her shoulders leaving a trail of ghostly warmth before gently cupping her face in-between his soft palms holding her in place as he moved to deepen the kiss. Holding her face in his hands now, he leaned forward his soft tongue brushing against her glossy lips asking for permission to deepen the kiss…she tasted like strawberries…he noted.

Lila was duly impressed but she wasn't about to get shown up. She wrapped her arms around his neck entangling her slender fingers into his long soft, silky red hair gently tugging at it to gain more control while her body melted into his as she pulled him closer. She yanked his hair back suddenly which caused Nathanael to wince slightly from the pain Lila seized the opportunity by aggressively parting his lips forcing her tongue into his warm mouth. Lila smiled…She was winning.

She pulled at his hair to maneuver his movements while her tongue explored the inside of his mouth thoroughly tasting him…He tasted like fruit punch. She briefly opened her eyes to look at the effect she had on the guy. His cheeks were flushed a dewy pink as his breathing became harsher…Looks like she was winning. Nathanael shyly wrapped his tongue around hers using his soft tongue to pull her towards him. She decided to humor him by pressing her body closer to his as her tongue feverishly danced with his. When she didn't pull away it gave Nathanael enough courage to angle his head slightly so he could taste her better. His hands instinctively placed themselves behind her head and on her nape.

Lila wanted to win, so when he started to pull his tongue back her tongue followed him to his mouth to lure it back out, but as soon as Nathanael felt her tongue graze his teeth he gently nibbled it. Lila was startled and tried to pull back but as her tongue was retreating back he caught it in between his teeth pulling her back in. Her eyes went wide when he started to lightly suck on her tongue. Her knees began to buckle…what was going on…? She was supposed to be the best kisser…! Her fingers detangled themselves from his hair and she placed them on his shoulders trying to steady her slightly trembling body as she let out a muffled gasp. He had placed his hands behind her head forbidding her from pulling away from the kiss as his tongue danced with hers. Lila's head started spinning and her heart started to beat irregularly. She was beginning to get light headed…She was losing…There was no way she could win she was running out of air and oh it felt really good when he gently nibbled at her lips before he continued to lavish her with his tongue. Lila never knew a kiss could make her whole body feel electrified it was the kind of kiss that steals your breath away and then gives it back all in one motion. It was at this time Lila realized that every other kiss up until now was wrong…it was when she let out a quite muffled moan did she realize she was losing…

In a desperate act to save face she harshly pushed his shoulders breaking the kiss. A small thin line of salvia connected their two separated tongues as they let out huffs of air panting like dogs…Lila quickly tried to hide her flustered face by turning away and placing a hand over her mouth to prevent the others from seeing her swollen lips and her flushed cheeks and in her mind she begrudgingly admitted defeat…

So in regards to Alya's question on who was the best kisser…the answer was obvious. 'Who was the best kisser?' She hated to admit it but….

"Nathanael's an amazing kisser." She admitted quietly with tinted cheeks as her mind traveled back to the time he kissed her…it was the best damn kiss she had….

"What…?" Alya didn't hear her.

Lila flushed harder; she didn't want to repeat herself.

"I mean I'm obviously the number one kisser." She stated with a fake confident smile like the liar she was.

Alya rolled her eyes at the obvious answer; she had no idea that Lila lied…no one could know the truth! If they did…they might try to test it out…When Alya returned her attention to the rest of the classroom Lila let out a sigh of relief.

"You think I'm an amazing kisser…?" A quiet voice asked. Lila jumped back in surprise….

Nathanael had his head on the desk and was looking up at her with a teasing smile. Lila started to panic…he heard what she said….Oh god…!

"No, of course not." She said coldly, happy her voice didn't betray her frantic state. However, that did not get rid of Nathanael's foxy grin.

"I think you're an amazing kisser too." He whispered.

"Go back to sleep!" Lila snapped. Nathanael just let out a laugh and complied with her wishes.

Nathanael may have said she was an amazing kisser…but she wasn't nearly as good as he was…and to think that was his first kiss… No one must know who the real best kisser was because….after all….Lila grinned as she softly ran her finger through the boy's red locks… Nathanael's kisses were reserved only for her.


	9. Hero and Anti-Hero

**Fair warning you guys things get spicy! Also its kinda long and you have to pick up context clues. Also this is a AU sort of.**

* * *

The silver moon gazed down at Paris from the high heavens shining its guiding silver light on the already highly illuminated city. The stars twinkled enviously as they looked down at the gleaming lights of the city. It was a cold night, but the city lights provided a sense of warmth. Nathanael, or as the public eye knew him La Dessinateur, stared at the beautiful scene before him taking in a deep breath of the crisp cold air in content. It seemed relatively calm tonight. There were no signs of super villains or petty thieves. But, the thought of a peaceful night was just wishful thinking; there have been a lot of robberies recently by a villain only known as Volpina.

Volpina was one of Hawkmoths newest sidekicks and as of late she's been nothing but trouble for Nathanael and his teammates, Ladybug and Chat Noir. She's been attacking a lot of jewelry stores, which made Nathanael suspect Hawkmoth was desperately searching for more Homeo-Miraculous gems in order to increase his power for god knows why. Hawkmoth was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, he was no doubt bad; turning innocent civilians into super villains when they are in their weakest state, and he was very powerful as he was able to have said super villains do his bidding…Nathanael should know he used to be one of them…it was a horrible feeling being controlled like that. He remembered his hand started to move on its own accord as he desperately tried to regain control. He felt powerless and weak….He was awful lucky to have been saved by Ladybug….oh and Chat to…

Just as he was about to get lost in his own musings his ears perked up at the sound of silent swishing overhead, he looked up at the sky and noticed an orange shape fly through the sky…Volpina! ' _What is she up to_?' he thought, quickly following pursuit. If Hawkmoth's plan was to find more Miraculous jewels by sending out his underlings to raid various jewelry stores it was Nathanael's duty to stop Hawkmoth's plan from flourishing.

Jumping from roof to roof he made sure to keep a good distance away from Volpina so he wouldn't be spotted. The cold wind hit his face like cold water as he tried to keep up with her. Volpina stopped and looked around. Nathanael froze in place holding his breath…Did she see him? He began to panic….only slightly…A few seconds passed and soon the air softly carried music notes into Nathanael's ears. Volpina was playing her flute and as she played a dark orange mist surrounded her being, when the mist cleared Volpina was gone and in her place stood Ladybug, an illusion! Nathanael quickly figured out that Volpina wasn't planning on being discreet….or at the very least she didn't mind being careless, because she wouldn't be the one incriminate, it would be Ladybug…Nathanael bitterly admitted that, that was a clever idea. He had to inform his teammates…

But with no form of communication on him he really couldn't do that. He grimaced. He would have to take her on himself…His civilian form might like being a loner but his superhero persona never liked doing things alone, always fearing he might screw up, he liked working in a unit where his weaknesses could be made up for by the strengths of another. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves….He had to start stepping out of his comfort zone after all he was no use to Ladybug if he stayed stagnant and never grew…Now the question was…how was he going to go about this situation?

Lila started raising her flute up in the air intending to break the window of the jewelry store, which would surely sound off the alarm systems. Quickly Nathanael drew a small box around Volpina to stop her attack…With no game plan he would just have to wing it.

"What…?" She asked out loud confused…

Her fox ears twitched at the sound of someone breathing; luckily she still had on the illusion. She rolled her eyes. _Just great…_ She already knew who she was dealing with the moment she saw the box form above her…From the roof tops she saw the outline of a male figure. He jumped down and flung a simple piece of paper beneath him. He elegantly stood on the paper, which acted like a small magic carpet letting him slowly and gracefully descend downwards.

His skin was a light lilac and his messy locks of red to purple ombre hair were swept to the left side, but his bangs were still long enough to mid-way cover his left eye. On top of his head he wore a black beret and to hide his identity he wore a black domino mask…. _But really I think I'll remember someone with lilac skin…_ His costume consisted of a tight white sleeveless suit with four black strips, one created an arc above the black circle in the center of his chest and inside that circle where three smaller circles; one blue, one red, and one yellow. The two other strips were below said circle and looked like an up-side down v while the last one was a right side up v that acted as a trimming. His suit also had a swan-neck collar with a red collar underneath. He also had on black leggings that shifted colors from black to red midway through and elbow high gloves that shifted from white on top to black on bottom.

"La Dessinateur! Good thing you came! I saw Volpina head towards here and I came to investigate." She compulsively lied.

"Stop with the façade I know it's you...Volpina."

"Hehe…You're no fun." Lila said with a grin as a smoky orange mist covered her being before dispersing outwards revealing her true form.

"Talk." Dessinatuer commanded.

"Well today I had some cereal but it was the disgusting kind you know when the milk makes it go all soggy an-."

"That's not what I meant." He said slightly annoyed.

"Well then you should be more specific." She said coyly with a smirk.

"Stop playing, this is serious, what is Hawkmoth planning?" Nathanael asked trying to appear menacing…Volpina thought that was adorable…because he was so goddamn short.

"Hell if I know." She admitted. Nathanael let out a groan. "You're awfully cute when you're flustered~" Volpina teased as she got closer to the clear glass wall that kept La Dessinature at a distance.

He instinctively flinched, briefly forgetting that there was a wall separating the two of them rending any physical contact impossible. He cleared his throat and quickly regained his bearings; Volpina giggled which caused Nathanael to scowl as a small heat spread across his cheeks.

"This is serious." He said slight hissing.

"You said that already." She replied smoothly with a taunting grin.

"Volpina!" He hissed.

"Fine, fine…I'll tell you…if…"

"Oh no there's an _IF…_ " Nathanael said suspiciously, Volpina was known to be very cunning and tricky like the fox miraculous she represented….

"Hear me out." Volpina insisted and Nathanael begrudgingly listened. " _If_ you let me out of this box."

"No."

"You didn't even stop to consider."

"Volpina do you think I'm stupid? The moment I let you out you're going to book it. I don't trust foxes."

"Aww that hurts my feelings…~" Volpina teased as her fox ears drooped down and she let out a small whimper, her lips quivering. _Her beauty is an illusion…_ Nathanael reminded himself.

Once Volpina saw that La Dessinature wasn't going to budge she let out an annoyed growl, she didn't like his stubbornness. She let out an over exaggerated sigh.

"I tried diplomacy and it didn't work, time for Plan B."

"Plan B…?"

Before Nathanael could inquire more about Plan B Lila shattered the glass box by swinging her steel flute into it at high speed. Nathanael jumped back his arms insistently covering his face so as not to get cut by the hundreds of small flying shards of glass. Quickly La Dessinature prepared an attack to stop Volpina from escaping. Volpina predicted as much so while he was distracted shielding his face from the shattered glass she blew softly into her flute creating a separate image of herself, the said illusion quickly took to the sky flying away. Nathanael caught sight of an orange figure soaring above, immediately he tried chasing after it.

Volpina hid in the shadows watching as her plan unraveled perfectly. But, she knew she needed to act quickly La Dessinature was quick on his feet and it wouldn't be long before he realized it was just an illusion… She was able to sneak into the jewelry shop without setting off the alarm. _Thank you Fox stealth…_ She looked at the dazzling jewels that twinkled and shined. She loved how sparkly they were…they probably cost a lot more than her civilian self could afford.

"Oh this will look pretty with my little black dress." She said happily as she took a look at the pearl necklace in her hand. Its pearls perfectly round and glimmering bright like little full moons strung together.

Once she was happy with her hoard of jewelry she made her way out and took a deep breath in content, allowing the crisp night air to fill her lungs. She carefully surveyed the area to make sure there weren't any witness and when she was satisfied she confidently trotted out the store, head held high.

"That was almost too easy." She said arrogantly.

"Well, now, we wouldn't want to make it too easy now would we?" A deep voice responded smoothly.

"W-what." She looked towards the direction of the smooth voice but before she could do anything inky hands sprouted from below her tripping her as she tried to flee, holding her down like chains.

"I must admit it took me a while to realize it was only an illusion. Got to give you credit." La Dessinature said with a small smirk as he watched the female villain try to free herself by flaring her legs around to try and shake off the hands.

"Now back to our early conversation…" He said with an emotionless face as he kneeled down before her.

She looked away in defiance… She hated being weak, hated being looked down upon, and hated not having the upper hand. Nathanael wasn't having it as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him, he asked again:

"What is Hawkmoth planning?" He asked firmly. Volpina sneered. How dare he try to act all high and mighty?! He used to be a villain to!

"I told you already!" She hissed out still trying to kick away the inky hands that held her down.

"Volpina I'm losing my patience." He warned.

Volpina just rolled her eyes. She quickly darted her eyes around looking for a way out. It wasn't long before she found one. Just because she was held down by her feet that didn't mean her arms where held down….however her flute and her loot were a few feet away; she had dropped them when she fell…If she could just reach for her flute she could escape…hopefully with her treasures…But first she had to deal with La Dessinature…Maybe she could rile him up while she gave him a piece of her mind.

"Don't act like that." She mumbled.

"Like…what..?" he asked confused by her demand.

"You act like I'm the bad guy." She responded sadly, tilting her head up to look at him in the eye through her thick eyelashes.

"You are the bad guy." Nathanael replied with a snarky under bite.

"So where you." She countered.

"T-That's was different! I didn't want to do any of that! You on the other hand you happily took up Hawkmoth's offer, you did it willingly!" He argued…he was sensitive about that subject….

"And yet I'm the one with the actual Miraculous, while all you get is a sub version of my and Ladybug's power." She said smoothly.

He frowned…The Miraculous were powerful and were bestowed upon the chosen ones, those who would become heroes. Nathanael was not one of them. His power came from a weaker similar jewel like replica of the Miraculous…Think of it as lower ranking gem-based magic tool modeled after the Miraculous…

"I don't know why the Miraculous chose you when all you do is use their power for you own benefits…." He said. Lila smirked. He was getting agitated as according to plan….

"But…." He continued. "You're right…I did use to work for Hawkmoth….perhaps I'm not qualified for that kind of power….But still I changed for the better as did most of the others…." He said referring to the other akumanized super villains. "If the Miraculous think you're worthy enough to wield their power then they saw something in you…something good…If I can become a villain and then a hero…then you, who was destined to be a hero, can become a greater hero…" He explained.

"And why would I do that?"

Nathanael slightly flinched at the response, he wasn't expecting it….but he knew Volpina only did what she thought would benefit her…so he shouldn't have expected her to turn to the good side with a lousy speech.

"You can get attention." He said; he knew Volpina loved the attention good or bad.

Volpina stayed silent for a moment…as if contemplating his offer….But, she was really just trying to come up with a backup plan. She smirked as an idea came to her.

"You have a point." She said with a sigh of defeat. "But the truth is…I've been thinking about this for a while now…."

"What do you mean…?" Nathanael asked curious.

"I didn't lie when I told you I didn't know what Hawkmoth was planning…I don't know because I don't work with him anymore…" She confessed.

It wasn't a lie she really did leave when she felt like it wasn't in her best interest to stick around with a deranged mad man who was too restricting and too demanding. It was always Ladybug this, Chat Noir that, Miraculous this…etc. It was _boring_ working for the guy. Lila thought it would be best to just abandon him and do whatever the hell she wanted to do, with no one telling her what to do, no one breathing down her neck, just being free….Looking out for number one! But she wasn't going to tell La Dessinature that.

"Y-You don't work for Hawkmoth anymore….Then why are you always causing trouble?! Why are you robbing banks and jewelry stores?!" Dessinature interrogated.

"W-well what was I supposed to do…?! I was lost…I didn't know what to do….So I just did what I do best and that's lie, cheat, and get ahead…Do you really think Ladybug and Chat Noir would have let me become part of their team so easily….?! No, they would have called me a liar and tried taking away my Miraculous…I had nowhere to go….!" She lied. She even let her voice waver near the end just to make it seem more authentic. "…I was on my own…."

Nathanael's eyes softened….His sensitive heart aching with sympathy towards the villainous…The inky hands that held her feet loosened their grip…and he half expected her to just bolt…but she didn't…her eyes were trained on the ground. He didn't know what to say to her…Luckily she kept talking, though she did it quietly.

"I kept doing what I did best…because I was afraid if I tried anything new I would fail….It's okay for others to fail….But not me, because I can't fail, I can't let anyone down, I'm a superhero….I can't deal with that kind of pressure….! So like the coward I am I avoid my responsibilities…I was thinking of just up and leaving Paris…" She lied.

"Why didn't you…?" He asked.

"Because then I would leave you…" She said sheepishly gazing up from the ground with sad eyes.

He could feel his cheeks burn up… the inky hands were long gone…and yet she stayed…She didn't move to get her flute…Was she staying because…of him…? Truth be told, Lila, was just having fun teasing the poor Super. She could very much have easily escaped when the hands loosened their grip but she found this much more fun.

"W-what…?" He asked his purple skin flushing a darker purple. Lila giggled…He was cute…she always thought he was cute.

"Why do you think I robbed the clothes store near the art studio? Why do you think I keep talking when I have the perfect opportunity to escape? Why do you think I hold you down a bit too long, longer than usual? I did it so you could pay attention to me….In a way it's my way of flirting." She said as she stood up towering over the petite boy with a foxy grin. Nathanael gulped.

"W-well y-you have quite an interesting way of flirting." He joked trying to calm his nerves as he took a step backwards. She took a step forwards.

"Do you like it when I hold you down?" She asked with a coy smile.

"W-w-what….?" He asked flustered by her question. Was she implying that he liked being dominated…? Did he…?

"Or maybe…" She backed him up to a wall now. "You liked it when I was on the ground, defenseless and at your mercy…?" She asked as she placed both her arms on either side of his head, entrapping him.

"I-I-I…" He didn't know what to say at this point…he wasn't expecting any of this!

She was so close to him…! Her ensnaring green gaze left him defenseless… He couldn't form a cohesive sentence, his body went rigid and his heart beat quickened. She smirked. He was so easy to tease. She wanted to take it a step further. She lowered her hands slowly running her fingers down his chest; he seemed to stiffen as he held his breath. It was as if he was fighting to keep control of his body. She pressed herself closer to him entrapping the boy between her and the wall behind him; he let out a gasp of surprise. His face was flushed a deep purple…It was so cute. Her hands were now lower just below his belly button now; his breathing became hasher as he unconsciously let out a sigh his hips slightly buckling as they felt her hands massage his outer thigh.

"Aren't we excited?" She teased.

"N-No it's not…it's n-not like that…" He said embarrassed at how his body was betraying him.

Gently she grabbed both of his wrists and placed them overhead, successfully pinning him to the wall. Her body was now flush with his. She leaned down and began placing small butterfly kisses on the crook of his neck. She soon discovered he was rather sensitive there. She smirked. He was far too easy to please.

"V-Volpina stop…Someone might-Ah..! See us!"

Volpina stopped her assault of his neck and he let out a groan of slight disappointment. She was about to comment on it until she looked at the flustered boy's face. His face was now a royal purple; he was slightly heaving, his dewy lips parted and his bright teal eyes were now slightly glazed over as they looked up at her through long lashes with a misty helpless stare.

"Then stop talking." She said and before he could say anything she kissed him.

It wasn't slow or sweet it was hard and passionate it's as if she was trying to kiss him into the wall. He tried pulling away but he couldn't…or maybe he didn't really want to… Volpina forcefully parted his lips open and she began assaulting his mouth with her tongue, he obliged, shyly wrapping his tongue around hers. When they finally parted a silver thread of saliva connected their tongues.

"Volpina!" A sweet voice loudly announced.

A familiar yoyo came flying encircling around Volpina's wrist. It was ladybug! Ladybug harshly tugged at the yoyo causing Volpina to jerk to her left in compliance. Volpina let out a snarl. _Ladybug has the worst sense of timing!_ Lila thought bitterly, she wanted to tease La Dessinature a little bit more.

"Well would you look at what the cat dragged in!" Chat noir said, both Volpina and Ladybug rolled their eyes. It wasn't even clever!

Volpina saw she was clearly outmatched and outnumbered, she knew when to take her leave. She harshly pulled on the yoyo string causing Ladybug to stumble face forward and as Ladybug lost her grip on the yoyo Volpina easily freed her wrist. She made a mad dash for her flute which was a few feet away. Chat saw this and tried to reach the flute before her. Volpina pounced and rolled over to where the flute was just as Chat Noir was about to take it. She raised the flute to her lips and made millions of copies of herself. Just before she left she stole a quick glance at La Dessinature. His face returned to its normal shade of purple but his cheeks were still a royal purple, he looked shell shocked. La Dessinature caught a glance of the real Volpina…but his body wouldn't move….Volpina smirked at him and blew him a kiss. His face turned a darker purple again as he fixed his gaze on the ground….he was letting her go…just this once….

Chat was swinging his baton around, but it was no use the real Volpina was gone all he managed to hit were the illusions. He frowned and let out a small growl in frustration.

"She got away." He said before adding the 'again' part.

"Its fine she can't keep running forever, eventually she's gonna slip." Ladybug said trying to look at the bright side.

"You're right as always My Lady."

"So what was she after anyway?" Chat asked.

"No idea, Dessinature got an idea?" Ladybug suddenly asked.

Nathanael flinched…

"I-I uhh…" He still hadn't recovered from the kiss yet….He was so confused now! He didn't know what Volpina said was true or what wasn't!

"Hey you okay man…? You seem…more purple than usual." Chat commented.

This just caused Nathanael to bury his flustered face in his hands…His teammates decided to drop the issue for now.

"I rather just take the rest of the night off…." He muttered. He would never be able to look at Volpina the same way again.


	10. Art dweeb and Popular girl Pt1

Ch 10 the art dweep and the popular girl

The walk to school was a boring one. With no one to talk to Lila often drowned out the silence with rock music. Occasionally she would hum the tune but she mostly got lost in her own thoughts. Once in a while she would stop to check herself out in a pocket mirror; after all, she was one of the most popular girls in school, got to look good for her fans. She was about to turn the corner when someone rammed into her. She stumbled backwards slightly, but she was able to keep her balance….but she was still pissed off.

"Hey, watch were you going!" She said harshly to the air as she rubbed her head to try and dull the pain from the impact.

She blinked and then she looked down to find the culprit sitting on his butt massaging his head from their collision. He was short for a guy, with bright red hair and pale alabaster skin. His fashion style was horridness and most of his clothes didn't even fit his small frame. Lying beside him was a large sketchbook now laid bare for the world to see…Lila briefly stole a look at the drawings and was duly impressed with the work inside the book….not that she would ever admit that out loud. She could describe the guy in a few words; small fry, art dweep, pathetic, weak, and utterly adorable.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" He said seafoam eyes staring up at her apologetically. His voice threw her off…his voice wasn't cute, it was damn sexy. She shook that thought away and scowled, she had a reputation to uphold, If Chloe found her hanging out with some art nerd she could kiss her popularity goodbye.

"Be more careful, Ariel! I could have gotten hurt you know." She said rudely before walking away not even bothering to help him pick up his things, even though she too was partially to blame for not paying attention to where she was going.

LINE BREAK

Besides the little hiccup in the morning everything else preceded as usual…same people, same compliments, same school, and the same popularity game. A few rumors here and there about how she was a bad person, some true most not, other rumors about how she was a goddesses walking amongst mortals, some over exaggerated claims and others flat out lies. To be truthfully honest it was all rather boring. It wasn't that she didn't like the attention quite the opposite she thrived from it, good or bad, but her daily routine was becoming too daily and mundane…more like a chore…

She was glad it was art class. She liked painting; it was a nice hobby, kept her mind off things. The class itself was alright…She only really liked the class because the teacher allowed them to use their phones for music and references, although in reality most of the students used it for more than just the intended learning purposes.

Right now they were practicing working with charcoal. She hated charcoal, she always smudged it and it always looked too blurry, always got her hand and arm covered with charcoal to, but she guessed it didn't really matter. They were to be paired up and the teacher would assign the pairs and give them a worksheet to do together and an assignment they would do separately, the assignment obviously being to create a drawing. Lila wasn't really paying attention.

"Lila and Nathanael." Lila sighed…hopefully this Nathanael guy could draw or at the very least actually paid attention to the PowerPoint slides the teacher created.

To be honest she didn't know most people's names….or at least didn't bother remembering them, but as fate would have it, it seems she already met the guy. Red hair, sea foam eyes, it was the boy from this morning….she was a little surprised to know he was in the same grade as her, she really thought he was a year younger….this misconception was largely due to the boy's height. She didn't bother mentioning what happened this morning. She just sat down and began working on her task, he did the same. It was a simple task, both of them could have done it individually…and technically they did. There was no communication between them, no attempt to communicate; they just sat beside each other as they completed the simple assignment. Once they both were done they pulled out their phones and began to mindlessly play games and check social media apps.

Lila stole a quick glance at the boy then looked around to make sure the teacher wasn't watching them. The teacher was grading papers and what not and the fact that both she and Nathanael were at the very last row gave Lila enough confidence to click on her Crunchyroll app. She plugged in her headphones and began watching the new reboot of Sailor moon. She always loved Sailor moon, it was her favorite show growing up, Sailor Mars, was her personal favorite Sailor scout. She heard a giggle…

"I didn't take you for an anime fan…" Nathanael whispered softly. Lila flushed…

"Tell anyone and I'll wreak you." She threatened. Nathanael just held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Who's your favorite?" He asked curiously and for some reason she replied.

"Mars."

For years she's kept her love for anime a secret….popular girls aren't weeabos….but because of that she's never been able to talk about her interest, she can't talk about her favorite characters and their arcs to anyone….So, she reasoned, because of this suppression she was desperately craving someone to talk to about this, to share this interest with…Nathanael would have to do.

"You watch anime….?" She quietly asked after a few seconds of silence passed by.

"Yeah." He replied bluntly and began doodling in his sketchbook.

"C-can you draw manga…?" She asked shyly as her eyes followed the delicate movements of his wrist…he smiled….Her heart skipped a beat…she's never seen a more radiant smile….He let out a good natured, mellifluous laugh.

"I do from time to time…Why…? Do you want me to draw you something?" He answered innocently. Lila pondered the question…

"Mmm….Could you….couldyoudrawmeasasaliorscout…." She mumbled.

"What…?" Lila repeated herself but she wasn't anymore audible the second time than she was the first. "Pardon…" Lila went red in the face…

"Me…Sailor scout…." Was; what Nathanael was able to hear. He smiled, who knew the notorious fox mistress was so shy and cute.

"Sure."

"R-really…"

"Yeah….why don't you describe how you want it to look like and I'll draw it for you…" Lila was about to respond happily when she caught eyes with Chloe's lanky, Sabrina…who was currently starring curiously at the duo. Lila cleared her throat and flipped to a random blank page in her sketchbook and scribble downed her address silently pushing it closer to Nathanael.

 _Come to my house after school…I don't need anyone else knowing I'm an anime freak._

"You and your pride." Nathanael replied with a sigh. Lila gave an 'hmmph' and returned her attention to her phone, but not before glaring at Sabrina. Sabrina saw her glare and made the wise choice of erasing the memory of seeing Lila's friendly chat with the art dweep.

LINE bREAK

The doorbell ringed with a clear silver chime and Lila went to answer the door, already knowing who it was on the other side.

"Hey Li-." Nathanael couldn't even finish his sentences when he was forcibly pulled inside the house.

"Shh! I don't need this getting out!" Lila whispered harshly. Nathanael frowned….

"Why? Are you embarrassed?"

"It's w-well Aug! You wouldn't understand!" Lila said in frustration. Nathanael just shrugged it off...he never did understand the popular crowd.

"Whatever. I got my sketchbook let's get started."

"O-Ok…Here uh…wanna go to my room?"

"Sure."

They made their way to Lila's room. Her walls were covered in Jagged Stone posters, anime and vocaloid posters. She had a large red bed with various pillows and a small stuffed toy fox. Her walls were a bright sunset orange and her curtains were a mellow golden green that filtered the white light of the sun into rays of murky gold. Her room was very tidy and orderly. A small smile made its way onto Nathanael's face as he saw a small collection of figurines on the desk next to her bed. She was such a dork. He thought with amusement.

"Ok! Let's start!" Lila said as she flopped on top of her bed. Nathanael decided to sit down on the desk chair that was besides Lila's bed where he placed his art supplies on the provided black desk.

"Well I want to be able to capture you personality in this drawing….how would you describe yourself?"

"Myself…Just ask around the school, I'm sure you've heard of me. Next question." Nathanael frowned.

"No. I don't care what lies people spread or what assumptions they make. I want to know who you truly are who _you_ think you truly are…" Nathanael said…Lila immediately felt uncomfortable…

"Do I have to…? Can't I just tell you who everyone thinks I am…?"

Nathanael's blank expression was her only answer… _Man is this guy stubborn…_ She thought as she let out a sigh.

"F-Fine…But turn around I don't like you staring at me, you look like a freak!" She exclaimed and he complied. She took a deep breath… "I-I…I like to think myself as confident…but really…I…don't have much self-esteem…I love attention…my parents usually aren't around…I guess maybe that may have something to do with my desperate need for approval…I need constant reassurance…I want to be perfect…I want to be able to please the main crowd, to fit in, and be accepted…But really I'm just a liar, with low self-esteem…I'm…I'm not a hero…" She mumbled…

"You're only human…" Nathanael replied softly as he turned around to face her again.

"H-Hey, don't turn around!" She shouted…she didn't want him to see her face. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"That's was very brave of you to say….especially since I'm just a stranger…" He complimented…

"Can we…just get on to the next question…something less deep and thought provoking…" she requested, he complied.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Red." She replied…she wanted to get back at him for making her feel like trash. "Like your hair, I love the color. It suits a cutie like you." She said flirtatiously with a wink…He flushed and tried to hide behind his sketchbook… _Yup definitely looks good in red._..Lila thought satisfied.

"What would your weapon be?" Lila pondered this…

"Can I have an A-bomb?"

"No." She pouted.

X

They spent the rest of the visit talking about various subject: art, anime, Jagged Stone, their interests, etc. From what Nathanael could gather was that Lila was very much a sensitive person easy to hurt, a person who holds grudges who doesn't easily forgive, she's stubborn, clever, needs constant praise, likes being in control, and is very flirtatious (…that last trait was going to be the death of him.)

In the security of her home Lila felt like she could flirt with whomever she wanted without having to worry about the repercussions, social status, or her reputation. She felt confident in the walls of her room. She could talk about her interests about her fears without the constant threat of having someone overhear her. What she learned about Nathanael was he was a precious little tomato that she wanted to hug: he was kind in nature, gentle and docile, sarcastic, easily flustered, and surprisingly outgoing. What she quickly picked up on was that he was only ever outgoing when there were a small number of people around him in a safe secure area he felt comfortable in.

Nathanael was finally satisfied with his rough concept art.

"Do you want it colored to?" He asked wondering if she wanted a professional finish…maybe he could upload the sketch onto his computer and work on it.

"Yes…uhh…But it's not like you have to I mean I could probably do it better anyway!" Nathanael decided to ignore the last part.

"Nonsense I'll gladly do it only for you." He said innocently, did he understand what he just said? She wondered as a small heat enveloped her cheeks.

"What a charmer…" She said playfully. "Still…I feel like I have to pay you back somehow…Well…we can discuss payment later; let me look at the concept art again." Lila said casually as she leaned over to look at the drawing.

The concept sketch was coming along nicely as it had transformed from random chicken scratch into a messy outline of a female body. It almost looked like she was descending from the sky gracefully caught in mid-fall as she jumped into action, her long hair flowing behind like a flag as her two other strands of hair flew around her like ribbons, her arms gently encircling a giant floating, spherical mirror.

"My weapons a mirror…?" She asked

"O-Oh well it was just a placeholder really…I just thought…it suited you…" He said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Suits me? What are you saying? Do you think I'm really that vain?" She asked with a small frown. Nathanael quickly scrambled to fix his mistake.

"No! No! That's not what I meant I mean….You remind me of a mirror, letting people see what they want to see, creating illusions and refractions….I-I thought it would be cool if it would be your weapon….you could like deflect attacks and send them back at the opponent or you could use it to disguise yourself like sailor moon's magical disguise pen." Nathanael explained.

"Well when you put it that way….Still I'm very offended!" She said stubbornly.

"I can change it if you want; it was just a placeholder really…." He said. "Oh! What about a sword…I could draw you like…this holding your sword over your head." Nathanael explained as he raised his hands above his head pretending to hold a sword to provide a helpful visual.

The mirror was a complex symbolic symbol, often contradicting itself. Sometimes it was a symbol of truth and wisdom other times it was a symbol of vanity and clouded lies. Sometimes the mirror's gleaming clear surface reflects a sense of clarity and self-awareness, other times its blurry reflection reflects a distorted illusion or a white lie, a cracked mirror can mean a sign of calamity or a sign of a fractured identity. You can look at a mirror and see not only your physical appearance but reflect on who you really are….The mirror is able to represent many things juxtaposed to each other: truth and deception, reality and illusion, flattery and harsh reality, logic and disorder, narcissism and self-loathing. A mirror is more than meets the eye….and that is a very appealing aspect of the mirror….

"No…a mirror will do…But!" She exclaimed as she got out a pencil from a bucket full of writing utensils.

"I want it to do more than just mere illusions it has to be a badass mirror like its owner! A mirror is more than meets the eye."

She stated as she drew a circle near the right corner and started illustrating what the back of the mirror would look like and made another circle underneath it to illustrate what the front would look like.

"Hmm…what do you think…?" She asked Nathanael after she was done.

The back of the mirror resembled an ornate shield. It had a delicate rounded form that was covered with fine floral decorations, around the center were four umbos whose bases resembled flower petals and in the very center of the shield like mirror was a delicate sun made of various connecting lines. The front was a simple reflective surface, save for the outline of a magical hexagram.

"The back reminds me of shield…any particular reason you went with that artistic choice?" He asked.

"Well the mirror itself is fragile…if it breaks it wouldn't be of much use so it needs a tough exterior." She explained. "Oh! And what if the mirror lets you see what you want to see, I could easily disguise myself, or I could make millions of images of me to confuse the enemy." Lila said excitedly as she wrote down her ideas near the right corner underneath the two circles.

"What if those illusions only work as long as the person doesn't come in contact with them because if they do it shatters like a mirror?!" Nathanael said as he scribbled his ideas down beside her.

"And the mirror can reflect attacks back to the source like you said!"

"It would be great for escapes since you could create a separate image of yourself as you run off and by the time the illusion shatters you're already gone!"

"What if it lets me see unfolding events from afar?!" Nathanael gasped his eyes growing wide with inspiration.

"This gives me a great idea for the background!" He said out loud excitedly…

"Wait wait…let's calm down…first things first…I'm not fighting naked…" Lila said referring to how they had yet to create her sailor outfit. Nathanael flushed…

"O-Of course not! Hmm….Let me see….let's start with the skirt." He said as he drew the hemline of the skirt first, creating gentle flowing lines.

"Here add more volume." Lila suggested as she added more volume to the skirt. "Ohh and a bow in the back…"

"Since you're descending downwards the ribbons will be more like this." Nathanael said as he fixed the ribbons.

"Speaking of ribbons lets add the signature bow."

"Add a gem in the middle."

"Now for the classical fuku top."

"How about we add those transparent wing like sleeves"

"Some long elegant gloves and thigh high boots."

"The classical tiara."

"Let's add some more jewelry like some star earrings and a choker…."

"Can I do the background now…?"

LINE BREAL

They looked at the finished sketch with pride. Nathanael decided he would definitely give it a more polished look by uploading it onto his computer and working on it there on SAI.

"So when can you give me the finished piece?" Lila asked.

"Hmm…I say maybe a day…or two...depends on how much homework I have."

"Thank you so much….Really if there's something you want in return I'll-." Nathanael cut her off.

"Don't worry there's no need…I'm happy to do it…." Lila raised an eyebrow and then a grin spread across her face as she thought of a devious idea.

"Oh…but there must be something…" She said slyly as she got closer to the redhead gently sliding her fingers across the back of the chair as she made her way around to face Nathanael.

"There really isn't anything I want." Nathanael said innocently failing to register just how close Lila was…that is until he felt her sit down on his lap…His shoulders stiffened.

"Really…?" She asked her eyes half lidded as she inched her face closer to his…he was completely paralyzed now... "Well…I think I have an idea…~" She said her smoldering green eyes alit sending a shiver down Nathanael's back. His shoulders stiffened even more as he felt Lila's slender fingers brush against the nape of his neck snaking their way into his red hair.

He gulped as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders…a few seconds went by…then he pushed her off of him, his face beet red. Lila was surprised…she thought he was going to grab her shoulders so he could pull her down and kiss her…Her face must have conveyed her astonished expression because he immediately tried to apologize.

"I-I'm so sorry I-I didn't I-I mean I wasn't expecting…! I'm n-not used to that kind o-of stuff! I-I have to go now! I'm s-sorry!" He said quickly then he ran off…leaving Lila dumfounded…

After finally regaining her composer a small smile made its way onto Lila's face.

"So cute…"


	11. Art dweeb and popular girl Ch2

Ch 2

The next day came and it followed the same old routine. Lila made her way to school, idly listening to Jagged Stone's new hit album ' _Diamonds Break'_. It had a good chorus and a mesmerizing drum beat that got Lila's head bobbing in tempo. Normally she would feel a lukewarm aura drown her as she made her way to the harsh social hierarchy of school, but today she was rather excited to see a certain redhead…and a little nervous considering the last time she saw him he ran out of her house so quick she swore he left skid marks on the floor…

By god was he cute…she thought… _Stop thinking like that Lila! It might have been okay to flirt with him in the safety of your home but don't forget about your reputation…don't let all your hard work be erased by some redhead…a really cute, kind, huggable, loveable, redheaded angel…._ Lila's face turned pink…her heart fluttered slightly…why out of all the attractive people she could have cherry picked from did she have to feel attracted to some shota art dweep…? She blamed Anime…She couldn't let her feelings get out of hand….

"Oh! Uhh…Good morning, Lila…" A smooth voice said gently, she already knew who it was long before he jogged his way up to her.

"…"

She didn't say anything, her cautious eyes scanning the area to make sure there weren't any witnesses. Once she was sure no one from their school was in the current area she returned her gaze onto the small redhead in front of her.

"Morning shota boy." She said playfully with that trade mark grin of hers. "Are you tired?" She asked.

"Tired…" Nathanael asked slightly confused as he titled his head to the side.

"From all that running." Lila clarified. Nathanael gave a sheepish smile embarrassed by the memory of what had happened.

"S-sorry for running out like t-that…you just surprised me…that's all…" He said quietly with rose tinted cheeks as he hugged his sketchbook closer to his chest self-consciously…. _He has to be doing this on purpose…_ Lila thought as her heart fluttered.

"Sorry for that, guess I was just too forward…but I can't help that you're super cute." Lila apologized. She was always a go getter, she knew what she wanted and she didn't shy away from achieving what she wanted.

"Y-you think…I'm cute…?" Nathanael asked slightly surprised that someone like Lila found him attractive…He felt his ego boost up slightly…though he was still shy from the compliment.

"Would I lie to you?"

Nathanael pondered the question…she _was_ known for being a compulsive liar…

"Don't answer that." Lila said after she practically read his mind…she didn't have a good reputation in regards to honesty. "Anyway I want you to know something." She said.

"What is it?" Nathanael asked curiously.

"I don't want you anywhere near me."

"Huh?" Nathanael was confused…Didn't she like him…?

"Listen I have a reputation to uphold and I don't need you ruining my image so do me a favor and act like you don't know me." She stated coldly.

"B-But I-I…"

"No buts!" She said sternly….even though his sad puppy dog gaze made her knees goes weak…she wanted to hug him and tell him it was just a joke… _Don't crack, don't crack, don't crack…_

"B-but what about your commission…?" He muttered meekly… "I thought maybe…never mind!" He said and was about to run off, but she gently grabbed his wrist which surprised the redhead.

"Listen don't take it personally, okay? You're a real cutie but you're not exactly Adrien Agrest." Nathanael bowed his head and snatched his hand back. Lila sighed. "I'll be expecting my commission by tomorrow, see ya never." She exclaimed as she walked away leaving Nathanael behind…but before she made it out of ear shot Nathanael said:

"I-It's a real shame…I wanted to get to know you better…Now what am I gonna with this extra anime convention ticket." He said with a melodramatic undertone as he let out a sigh. "Hm…Maybe I can ask Marinette to go with me…I bet she would love the cosplayers…"

Lila froze… and Nathanael couldn't help but smirk, she was too predictable sometimes.

"Y-You got tickets for a nearby anime convention…?" She murmured quietly.

 _She's such a dork…_ He thought affectionately…maybe…this would change her mind…maybe then she'll let him hang out with her more and not just in the safety of her home…but in school and outside of school…

"Yeah…Eh? Don't tell me you want to go to a nerd fest?"

"Y-yeah right I would never go to a place like that!" That was a lie. She really wanted to go.

"Okay…well then I guess I'll be going then…If you happen to change your mind my offer still stands, but I will need an answer by tomorrow." He said as he started resuming his walk towards school…Lila just stood there contemplating her options…Little red sure knew how to drive a hard bargain.

* * *

The day went by and all the while Lila was contemplating her choices...Should she risk someone finding her in a geek fest? Would it be worth it?

"Hey Lila!" A bratty voice called out to her making her lose her train of thought. It was Chloe.

"Sup, Queen Bee?" She responded casually.

"A little birdie told me you were hanging out with the art dweep….Please tell me it's only a rumor, after all, we wouldn't want that to ruin your perfect reputation right? What would Felix think?"

 _I'm going to murder Sabrina that little bitch!_

"I'm guessing that Birdie is Sabrina." Lila said with a scowl.

"I can't say…~ But that doesn't matter right now, right now I need to know. A _re you_ hanging out with the art nerd?" Lila started panicking…good thing she was quick witted.

"Your 'birdie' was just trying to get on your good side by supplying you with false information. The only reason I talked with that nerd was because we were working on a paired assignment I didn't chose the partners. You of all people should know how _frustrating_ it is when you get paired up with someone you know is dirt compared to you against your own will." Lila said smoothly.

"Oh yeah I hear you! Those dumb teachers think they can pair me up with any loser they want yeah right like my Dad is going to have his princess mingle with such low lives!" Lila let out an internal sigh of relief…her reputation was safe for now.

"Preach it! But you may want to talk to your birdie about researching a bit more before reporting back to you after all it's a good thing I cleared up the misunderstanding before it got out of hand…I mean can you imagine how _embarrassing_ it would be if the Queen of gossip got the gossip _wrong!_ It could really hurt your reputation." Lila said hoping to make Chloe mad at Sabrina for making her look like a fool…it worked.

"Ugh! Your right I'm going to have a long talk with her!" She said angrily. Lila smiled; _dodged a bullet_.

However…things went downhill from there. Nathanael had been going through his usual routine and was heading towards his classroom. He spotted Chloe and he couldn't help but scowl…he would often go out of his way to avoid being anywhere near her for two reasons. Number one he didn't want to be near someone like her, her personality was infuriating and number two…out of fear. Chloe was an opportunistic bully if she saw the opportunity to humiliate someone she would take it. However, he also spotted Lila…

Lila was known as the fox mistress. She was known to lie and cheat, she wasn't as bad as Chloe but she wasn't exactly Marinette dubain cheng. Lila was good at manipulation which made it easy for her to bend the rules to her will. She was clever and conniving like a fox…thus the nickname… But…ever since yesterday…he briefly wondered if this side of Lila was also a lie, an illusion, a front to fool everyone…because from what he's seen she may be a compulsive liar but she was relatively harmless…She didn't go out of her way to make others feel like garbage…So Nathanael thought Lila would prevent Chloe from humiliating him…He thought that maybe…she wasn't so bad…she seemed to like him…so she wouldn't let Chloe humiliate him…He made his way towards them. Chloe snickered.

"Hey, Lila, watch this." Chloe said with an evil smile.

Just as Nathanael was getting closer to them Chloe stuck out her leg and tripped him. Nathanael tripped unceremoniously onto the ground his sketchbook flying out of his hands as the loose papers inside the book scattered across the floor like dying autumn leaves littering the hallway. Chloe let out a bratty laugh as she reveled in the humiliation of another. Suddenly her blue eyes caught the sight of something that made her practically jump in glee.

"Hey look at this!" She said as she snatched up a paper from the ground….

Lila looked, out of curiosity… _What could be on that page that caught Chloe's attention?_ When she looked at the contents of the paper her heart sank. It was her commission….He actually finished it…It was beautifully shaded and she was in awe of the background. She was descending down from a sea of broken mirror shards and the background itself seemed to be cracking and breaking like a mirror, the fracture lines extending outwards from the center like wings…He even managed to capture her famous mischievous all knowing smile…

"Oh my god! Lila is that you? What are you wearing?!" Chloe asked as she burst into giggles. She shoved the piece of paper into Lila's hands as she continued teasing the redhead. "You're a real creep drawing her without her permission haha! Who knows what other weird shit he's drawn?"

"T-That's not true!" Nathanael hissed his face becoming flush…he shot Lila a pleading look asking her to save him from this situation.

Lila looked at his face…he was vulnerable; he was asking for her help, he trusted her...She briefly glanced over at Chloe who was looking at her waiting for her response….She…she….had to do it…

"Hehe Don't tell me you actually like me as if I date someone like you, freak!"

To prove her point she gripped the paper in her slightly trembling hands…and she tore it…one piece two piece four…now they're just scraps lying around the floor, Nathanael watched in silent horror.

"Hey, look Lila is he about to _cry?_ Haha what a crybaby!" Chloe said tauntingly.

Nathanael didn't want to hear what Chloe had to say, he didn't care. He didn't want to be anywhere near that snake! He trusted her! He thought….AUG! He should have known! He hated her. He hated her. He hated her! He hated her! The ground was getting blurry as he ran as fast as he could away from them, away from _her._

He didn't go to school the next day….From then on whatever relationship they may have had turned sour. Nathanael was cynical about anything Lila did, even when Lila just wanted to apologize. And although Lila tried to apologize she didn't make things any better when she teased him and made fun of him to keep face. So it often went down something like this:

Lila nervously made her way towards Nathanael. She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves.

"H-hey Nathanael."

"…"

"…"

"Hi." He finally responded.

"I just wanted-." She started.

Chloe was around the corner sautéing down the halls with her lanky.

"What did you want to say?" Nathanael asked slightly hopeful.

"I just wanted to let you know how useless you are; even at the things your supposedly 'talented' in you just produce mediocrities."

"…Is that all…?" He asked coldly as he gripped his sketchbook closer to his chest…He caught sight of the blonde brat and sneered "Really, hehe you're no better than Sabrina, just a follower for the queen." He coldly stated and started walking away not wanting to be anywhere near the trio. Lila watched him leave with a frown…apologizing was going to be harder than she thought.

* * *

Don'y worry there is a part three.


	12. Art dweeb and Popular girl Ch 3

Ch 3

Music erupted from the phone siting on the desk as Lila chewed the tip of her pencil in thought…what could she do to make it up to Nathanael? It's been two weeks since the 'incident' and all attempts at apologizing have ended in failure. Each time she always ended up making the situation worse by teasing him, calling him names, insulting him, etc…Perhaps she should leave a note… _what if he just tares it up…like I tore up his drawing(s)…_ She looked idly at the ceiling in thought…

"Maybe I should just stop…I'm only making things worse….Besides why am I even trying? I mean I have the whole school under my thumb why am I trying so hard for some art nerd…?"

She let out a sigh already knowing the answer to that question…He was the only one who saw beyond her illusions, the only one who she willingly told her shameful otaku secret. All the other students don't really like her. Their smiles and complements are as fake as she is….He was the only genuine one… So because of this, she reasoned, was why she was so desperate for his approval and attention…because she wanted a real bond, a real friend, a real relationship based on common interests and hobbies not on lies.

But she messed up, destroyed any opportunity she may have had to form a real relationship with someone who genuinely saw her as a person, not as an idol or a monster. _'So scared of what your enemies will do to you. You're the only enemy you ever seem to lose to…' Wow does that sum it all up_ …She thought idly as she turned off the music from her Pandora App… _Am I Hamilton, then?_ She sighed and got up from her chair to stretch and give her brain a rest. She looked at the calendar that hung on her wall. _Tomorrow's…Valentine's day…_

Her eyes widened as an idea came to mind. _Wait does he even like chocolate? Maybe a card? No he would tear it up before even reading it! Flowers? No…Maybe he's allergic. Is he allergic to peanuts? Does he have a girlfriend?!_ That last thought almost made her trip… _I'm hopeless…_ She thought glumly as she took a pencil and paper and started jotting down ideas while also contemplating the thought of Nathanael having admires…the thought alone made her frown.

Finally, she decided she would keep it simple because anything extravagant would surely backfire on her…She would give him some chocolates…but _how_ was she going to do that was the question? She knew she wouldn't be able to do it during class or even after because she would run the risk of having the same mistake occur; where she would just bully him whenever a student passes by just because she's afraid they may act as a witness to take her popularity away. She frowned. _I'll think of something…_

* * *

The hallways were eerily quiet as they were no longer filled with the loud chatter of teens, only a few people remained. It was the end of the day and most of the students had rushed out the school gates before the bell was even done ringing. Nathanael had gone to his locker after exciting the art room; he needed to pick up his English textbook. He walked down the hallway idly as he looked at the Valentines' decorations the spirit team plastered on the wall. There was supposed to be some event tonight…or was it tomorrow night? Well it didn't matter; he was all alone this year….again….But he had no one to blame but himself. He always liked keeping to himself, he liked being alone…but it did get lonely… (What a shocker) He would occasionally get the urge to socialize…but he didn't know how. He sighed, the struggles of an introverted artist.

He made it to his locker and just as he was about to close it he saw Lila from the corner of his eye. He sneered and stuffed his things into his book bag intending to quickly evacuate the area. But she got in his way. He tried walking to the left, she moved to the left, he moved to the right, she moved to the right. He was getting annoyed.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly…

She was probably gonna make fun of how he didn't receive any chocolates for Valentine's Day…he thought cynically. However she just stood there idly, nervously looking from one place to another but never once looking at him…this caught Nathanael's attention…if she had wanted to make fun of him she would have already have…but she's just standing there….He was confused…

"What do you want?" He asked again expect this time his words didn't hold any bitterness but rather curiosity.

Lila's eyes drifted downwards and she started swaying from side to side, shifting her weight around as if stalling for time.

"Look I need to get going now an-."

He was caught off when she shoved a small bag towards him. The bag was red and was dotted with small pink hearts. She held it out with one hand as if it was the most disgusting thing in the world and looked firmly at him; waiting for him to accept her gift…Nathanael blinked in confusion and made no sudden moves to accept the gift. This caused Lila to frown and she pushed the bag of what he assumed to be chocolates closer to him and she let out a stern 'hmm' as if she was trying to say 'here take it already.' He gingerly took the bag…he was still confused…

"Are…are these for me?" He asked softly.

"T-they're apology chocolates; that's all! Okay!"

With that she ran off and Nathanael watched her run off as he stood there in confusion…Apology chocolates…? He thought confused…Lila however felt proud of herself for finally giving him the gift she had wanted to give him…This was a step in the right direction!

Nathanael looked down at the bag of sweets…Was this a joke…? He opened the bag and the chocolates stared up at him innocently...No way…! Did she mean it…? He wondered still slightly skeptical of the bag and its seemingly innocent contents. He quickly thought back to what she said: 'T-they're apology chocolates; that's all!' When she said that her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink as she shoved the bag into his hands with a slightly annoyed frown….Wait a minute….That's when it all clicked and Nathanael couldn't help but smile and let out a giggle.

'That fucking Tsundere…' He thought affectionately as her behavior now seemed to explain itself…A thought came to mind and a mischievous smirk made its way onto his face. 'He had to repay her for her kind gift….'

* * *

The next day Lila got out of bed joyfully. She had taken the first steps in amending her relationship with the tomato child. But she was still walking on thin ice. One wrong move and….No! She couldn't think about that now, she had to stop thinking about herself! She thought firmly as she got ready for school….But she still had fleeting doubts…

The first bell hadn't rung yet and Lila was leaning against the wall surfing the wide web on her phone idly. She heard soft footsteps on her left side and from the very corner of her eye she saw the familiar shade of red. Her breath caught in her throat… _Calm down…breath…Its fine just act like you didn't notice him…_ Her heart however did not slow down its frantic beating. The footsteps got louder and louder, they were brisk and moderately loud when all of the sudden they stopped…He was standing right next to her, head slightly titled up with a small smile and gleaming teal eyes. Lila's throat suddenly became very dry and she gulped a wad of saliva nervously…She could hear faint whispers arise from the crowds of students that were cautiously and curiously observing the duo.

Instinctively she glared at the petite boy…but he didn't even flinch he just kept looking at her pleasantly…. _What the hell? Can't you see you're making me feel uncomfortable?!_ Lila thought slightly flustered….His bright eyes made her heart pitter patter and she longed to hold him close and brush his soft red hair away from his face so she could look into those eyes… _Urg great now he's making me think weird thoughts! Ah! The people! T-they're whispering… talking about me….! Gossiping! Their eyes they're everywhere! Looking, expecting…!_ Before she could calm herself she went with her first instinct…She needed to insult him, get him away from her so she could stop feeling like this! So she could think straight.

"What do you want ner-mmh!"

He didn't let her finish her sentence. He caught her completely by surprise when he gently grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her down to his level and placed a quick, fleeting kiss on her lips. The world seemed to spin faster and everything blurred the only thing in focus was Nathanael, nothing else seemed to matter. Lila's eyes were wide open filled with shock. Nathanael's warm soft lips rendered her completely powerless. Finally, he pulled away from the chaste kiss and Lila tried leaning forward to capture his lips in another kiss yearning to fell the warmth of his lips on top of hers, but he simply placed a singer finger up to stop her advances. He looked at her with a mischievous smile.

"Thanks for the chocolates." He said with a smile and made his way to his locker leaving her completely dumbfounded. It took a total of five seconds for her brain to process what just happened…She looked out into the faceless crowd which was buzzing with questions and gossip… _Screw it!_

"N-Nathanael! Wait up!" She shouted as she chased after the redhead boy. She wasn't going to let him slip away this time.

* * *

BONUS:

Nathanael stopped walking and turned around when he heard his name being called.

"Yes…?" He asked coyly with a smile. Lila paused her cheeks slightly tinted red either from the kiss or from the light jog…the formal was more possible. "Did you want something…?" He asked innocently.

"Do I want…?! Don't play innocent you big tease!" Lila shouted flustered her face gaining a darker hue of red.

"Tease…? I don't understand." He said but his lips were tugging upwards into a condescending smirk. He did understand!

"It's not fair! Why do I get so flustered? I'm supposed to be the Seme in this relationship!" Lila proclaimed.

"We're in a relationship?"

"I-I…No! I mean t-that's not what I…" Lila was having trouble forming a cohesive sentence she sealed her mouth shut when she heard Nathanael giggle.

"So you admit we are indeed in a relationship." It was less of a question and more of a statement. Lila didn't want to admit it…but…She sighed…She took a deep breath.

"…yes…" She mumbled…

"I'm sorry what…?"

"….I…I said yes…." She mumbled again.

"I didn't quite catch that."

That did it! She strode up and grabbed him by the front his shirt reminiscent of what he had done to her and slammed her lips onto his. That shut him up. His face turned a bright cherry red; it seemed he didn't expect her to act so boldly.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked as she gently tilted his head up so he could look her in the eye. He simply nodded red faced. "Good then we have some catching up to do." She said with a playful smirk and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

 _Oh dear lord what have I done….?_ Nathanael nervously thought as he was pushed against a wall with Lila entrapping him by placing both of her hands on either side of his head.

Needless to say they were tardy getting to class.


	13. Floriology

The sun peeked through the dark purple curtains shyly making its way across the room engulfing the bedroom in a golden hue. The alarm started to screech, nagging the sleeping boy to get up as it beeped. Nathanael let out a quite groan as his stretch his tired limbs. Licking his dry lips and rubbing away any leftover sleep, he got out of bed and turned off the alarm which he strategically placed on the other side of the room (the reason why was because he would _have_ to get out of bed to shut of the alarm and he wouldn't hit the snooze button….like he often did before.) He looked at the alarm clock its green digits reading '7:30 AM SUN.' You may wonder as to why a teenage boy was waking up so early on a weekend. Well he was working part-time in a flower shop a few blocks away to earn enough money to buy a few artistic tools and an easel.

He went to the small kitchen, made himself an espresso and ate a fresh apple along with a banana muffin. He didn't have to worry about being too noisy when he started rummaging through the kitchen cabinets since he was an only child, his mother was away on a business trip, and his father was in Germany with his new fiancée, Mary. Nathanael liked Mary she was a nice lady. He usually visited them over the holidays. After finishing his espresso he went to brush his teeth, comb his bedridden hair, and get dressed for work. His work uniform consisted of a simple white long sleeved button up dress shirt, dark grey slacks, and a light powder blue medium length apron with the store logo on it.

He was tying the back of the apron when his bangs fell on his face rendering him blind. He flipped his head to the left causing the bangs to _swoosh_ to the left before they fell back over his eyes. He groaned in frustration…He's been meaning to get his bangs trimmed so they wouldn't get in the way when he draws but he's been putting it off until now. He let out a sigh, bang problems. He went into the bathroom and found some of his mom's hair clips…not his first choice, but if they kept his hair at bay it would do for now… He pushed his long bangs to the left side and clipped the orange hair clips into his hair.

"That's better." He said out loud and made his way out the front door. He got on his blue bicycle and headed towards work.

There were a good number of people out and about filling up the more narrow streets of Paris, their feet echoing with loud taps as they scurry around, the wind opposing them. Some nearby Cafes were just opening and the smell of fresh pastries and strong coffee mingled in the air. A few birds chirped a soft melody that was drowned out by the bussing of people and the silent roaring of cars nearby. As Nathanael peddled down the streets and around corners his mind began to wonder as he idly stared at the cream colored buildings Paris provided; his body went on auto piolet as he mused over a few things.

 _We're low on milk, may need to get some…should have made a list…Mom will be gone for another day or two. What to eat? Italian food, maybe…? I'm gonna have to water the flowers, cut the thorns off the roses…We have quite a few flower arrangements to finish wonder if he finished them last night…red ribbon or cinnamon? Green light, yellow light, red light stop. Should have packed a lunch…Will she be there today to?_

His last thought was referring to Lila a lovely Italian girl who often visited the flower shop asking for the same thing over and over again. A single red rose. He often wondered what she did with all those roses…probably gave them to her boyfriend, must be nice…to receive gifts from someone you like someone that cares enough to pay you attention… He was brought out of his thoughts when he made it to work.

He placed his blue bicycle outside the shop. The owner let him place it there as it acted as an extra decoration that leaned on the wisteria covered wall of the shop behind a row of ornamental blooming flowers, said it gave it a more charming feel. He opened the door; the small golden bell above chimed quietly alerting the owner that he was there. As soon as he opened the door the sweet pungent smell of flowers engulfed his senses. Blue hydrangeas, yellow sunflower, white carnations, purple lilacs, baby's breath, orange marigolds etc., etc. They were all placed in small blue pots on white round tables like cupcakes on a two tier cupcake stand. Others were placed on the floor smallest in the front tallest in the back and others still were placed on shelves alongside the decoration department that held decorations like ribbons and cards.

"Bonjour Nathanael."

"Bonjour." Nathanael replied.

"Trying a new look?" His boss asked referring to the hair clips.

"Just until I finally stop procrastinating and get a haircut." Nathanael admitted.

"When you say haircut you just mean a trim don't you."

"Yup."

"Damn you got my hopes up I thought you would finally get a cleaner cut, well as long as it doesn't affect your work performance it doesn't really matter...In any case can you start clipping some Larkspur for this new flower order we have, they're about to bloom, water the Mayflowers outside, and de-thorn the roses I'm sure our regular will come here looking for another rose." Nathanael nodded and immediately started working.

* * *

The sun had made its climb to the top successfully and gazed down happily from above, shining its rays onto the freshly watered plants. The dew drops reflected the white light, glimmering brightly as they fell of the delicate green leaves of the flowers. It was twelve in the afternoon. _Lila should be coming soon._ Nathanael thought and decided to go ahead and get her order ready. A single red rose with an orange ribbon. He caught sight of her long brown hair outside the front window and picked up the rose and headed towards the cash register, intending on greeting her and handing her, her weekly rose.

"Good afterno-." He started but was immediately interrupted when she slammed twenty euros on the table and angrily exclaimed:

"How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?!"

"Uhhh…." Nathanael was at a loss for words…he really didn't know what to say…Didn't she want her rose?

"Well?!" She exclaimed clearly frustrated.

Nathanael shook his head and told her to wait a little while: "Yes ma'am wait right here I think I may know what you're looking for."

Nathanael then set off to look for flowers that could come close to what she wanted…Every flower has a different meaning behind it, some positive and some negative and when you put them together you create a message that symbolizes your feelings. _So let's see…fuck you, fuck you, fuck you…which flower best conveys feelings of fuck you….maybe some geraniums they represent stupidity, a foxglove meaning insincerity, meadowsweets mean uselessness, yellow carnations which means you disappointed me, and of course some orange lilies which represent hatred….actually these flowers make quite a striking bouquet…full of loathing…hope she likes them…_ As soon as he gathered all the flowers he used a blood red ribbon to tie them all to together in a bouquet.

"Uhh will this do…?" He asked, shyly handing her the bouquet.

She took the bouquet in her delicate hands inspecting it with narrow eyes…Nathanael gulped…. _Please like it, please like it…don't yell, don't yell…._

"They're beautiful! I love it! THANK YOU!" She yelled angrily as she stormed off.

"W-wait you forgot your-!" She slammed the door shut behind her causing the bell to ring violently as the hanging plants overhead shook with fear…. "…your change…." He finished lamely….

"Wow." Nathanael's boss exclaimed. "Seems like she may be having boyfriend trouble." His boss commented out loud.

"I hate to be the guy getting those flowers…" Nathanael said quietly; pitying the poor guy who pissed Lila off.

* * *

BONUS:

Lila was pissed. Who was she pissed at? The queen bee herself, Chloe. How dare she try and make fun of her?! Just because she may or may not find the redhead working at the flower shop adorable. Chloe was just so irritating…but it's not like Lila could do anything about it, the bratty girl's father _was_ the mayor who knows what kind of trouble she would get into if she tried to harm the girl in anyway… So with a scowl on her face she stormed her way into the flower shop, she was so peeved she almost didn't notice Nathanael's new hairstyle…almost… _He's so cute with hair clips…_ But that thought was kept on the back burner because right now she needed to get back at Chloe without really getting back at her…She slapped twenty euros on the table and demanded a 'fuck you' bouquet…which he amazingly delivered….

She stormed out quickly once she got her flowers and went straight to her apartment got an index card out and a red fountain pen. In elegant cursive letter she wrote: 'fuck you' once she had the bouquet filled with loathing she went to Chloe's hotel.

"Excuse me I have a delivery for Ms. Chloe." Lila said calmly. She had adorned herself in an orange hat, khaki slacks and a red polo shirt to give the illusion of a delivery worker.

"Ah…are those flowers?" The butler asked… "I don't believe Ms. Chloe ordered for any flowers."

"No these were specifically sent to her."

"An…admirer?" The butler asked confused as he took the striking bouquet in his hands.

"Yes I believe so. I'm actually surprised she has any….I'm guessing they're from Sabrina." Lila lied.

"Oh Sabrina…! Well then I'll make sure to deliver these to Ms. Chloe."

"Thank you."

Lila left with a devious smile…until she realized… _I probably scared the shit out of Nathanael…._ She groaned out a no of despair…she's been trying really hard to be as nice as possible to everyone so Nathanael will thinks she's an amazingly kind girl like Marinette…..This was going to be a setback….Once she made it back home she buried her face in her pillow as she let out whining groans, thinking back to what happened in the flower shop.

The next day Nathanael came to work as usual and around twelve in the afternoon Lila came to the shop…She was quiet which unnerved him. He nervously gulped, took a deep breath and asked her:

"Uhh miss do you need any help finding something…?" He asked nervously not sure if she was still in a bad mood from yesterday.

"Hmm…? Oh no just looking…" She said idly. She seemed out of it.

"Well if you need anything please feel free to ask." He said politely and started making his way towards the back of the shop so he could work on finishing a few flower arrangements.

"Actually I do need something…" She said quietly after second of silence.

"Oh what is it…?" She took a deep breath and with a cheeky smile and twinkling eyes she said:

"You."

"…"

"…"

"I-I'm sorry what…?" He asked slightly flabbergasted… _Was she flirting…? Didn't she have a boyfriend? Did she move on already?_

"I-I said I need you…to get me my rose." She lied.

"Oh…ok…" He said awkwardly…that was definitely not what she said…but he decided not to dwell on it.

Lila took the rose, paid, and left. As soon as she made it into the safety of her home she covered her face in embarrassment…

"Another failure!" She cried as she glumly placed the rose in a clear vase that was full of red roses…"I'll try again next week."


	14. Lepidopeterophobia

Ch 14 Lepidopeterophobia

* * *

The day went by slowly and Lila was bored out of her mind, but she was sort of happy things were uneventful. She didn't need to think about akumas or ladybugs…Now she can think about her crippling loneness and her new acquired phobia…

She was never one to be scared easily but ever since the Volpina incident she's acquired an unexplained fear for butterflies…and it was ruining her life. She only noticed this a week or two after the Volpina incident. It was lunch time and Lila was sitting down on a lone bench. She had packed her own lunch that day, it was a simple chicken salad.

She was about to dig in when she heard the distinct sound of wings flapping. The thumping sound of wings ringed within her aching ears as an overwhelming sense of anxiety flared inside her frozen body. Her stomach started churning and she felt slightly queasy. Her skin started to crawl and she had the immense urge to start scratching an invisible itch on her exposed skin. She looked up and saw a large yellow butterfly flutter its way towards her. Before she registered what to do her instincts took over.

She screamed and jumped up to her feet before running towards the opposite direction from where the butterfly was. Her legs were telling her to run faster, father, don't stop but at the same time they were weighed down heavily with fear as her knees began to buckle.

"Did you see that?"

"Why is she running from a butterfly?"

"Is she okay?"

She gulped….They're talking about her now…They saw her… Great another thing for them to gossip about…She cleared her throat and pretended to dust some invisible dust off as she made her way back to the bench. (After the butterfly flew away of course) She was just startled that was all. It was a natural reaction. So she told herself but things just got worse from there. She couldn't even look at a picture of a butterfly without feeling disgusted. She avoided any flowerage and any flowery areas for fear of butterflies….She knew this fear was stupid, it was silly but she was helpless and weak because she couldn't control her fear. It was as if she was trying to stay afloat on a small piece of drift wood that was being bombarded by tidal waves of anxiety and fear.

She refused to accept anyone's help. She could control this fear on her own! If she couldn't do it by herself she surely wouldn't be able to do it with the 'help' of someone who doesn't even understand what's she's going through….She needed help, but she didn't want it. She didn't want to draw attention to herself (which was ironically a shocker to her), but helped soon arrived weather she wanted it or not. It came a few weeks after the 'incident' at lunch time in the shape of a small redhead classmate.

He tried to talk to her, but whenever she so much as glanced at him he would clam up. She didn't know why…Did he have anxiety…? She tried being patience but her patience was running out. This awkward atmosphere the redhead was creating was becoming suffocating.

"Spit it out already." She said her temper flaring slightly. He flinched and she felt horrible.

"I-I'm sorry…It's just…" She let out a sigh. "Take your time…" She said with a slightly exhausted frown.

"Lila…I…uh… I and a few other students were wondering if maybe you wanted…help…" He said gently.

His voice was hypnotic and Lila couldn't help but feel at ease as she listened to him talk.

"Help…? With what?"

"W-with your lepidopterophopia." He clarified…

"Ledio-what…?" She asked.

"Uhh…It's the fear of butterflies." She flinched…and her right eye began to twitch.

"I'm. Not. Afraid. Of. Butterflies." She said sternly though gritted teeth.

"Lila…" He said gently, already knowing she was lying….He didn't have to say anything else, just him saying her name made her shoulders slump…

"I-It's not a phobia…" She persisted.

He smiled gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder….She felt her heart thumb loudly in her chest.

"Lila…This whole classroom has lepidopterophobia." Lila's eyes widened at this new piece of information.

"W-What…?" She exclaimed…she had merely presumed she was the only one with this irrational fear.

"That's why we want to help you. We know what it's like having to cope with that phobia…We can help." He said as softly squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Everyone…?" She asked, still trying to understand how every student in this classroom had the same fear as her….It didn't make sense…

"Well expect for Adrien and Marinette…but yeah everyone even a few extras that aren't from this class." He clarified.

"Are you afraid…?" She asked shyly after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes, but its less extreme now…I can finally draw butterflies again without having my hands shake uncontrollably or have my stomach turn."

Lila thought it over briefly….perhaps it would be a good idea to get help from people who knows what it's like with this fear…(Plus if she could hang around this sweet cinnamon roll it would be an added bonus.)

"Well you help me?" She asked.

"We can help. I'll do what I can to help you…" She smiled…

"Thank you….uhh I'm sorry I don't know your name…"

"Nathanael my name's Nathanael." Nathanael said with a smile as he offered to shake her hand. She accepted.

"Nice to meet you Nath. Hey can you walk me home, I'm scared I'll run into another butterfly."

"Oh! Uhh sure…"

"Can you also hold my hand to? It helps calm my nerves."

"Yeah, yeah. I can do that." He said as he gently held onto her hand as she stated walking towards her house.

"Okay don't let go now until we reach my house."

"Okay." He answered compliantly. Lila smiled…

"You know I think this will be the start of a great friendship."


	15. Music

_Just a cute little story I whipped up for one of my favorite ships._

* * *

The sun had slowly descended downwards and the sky was tinted pink. Lila was currently occupying a small classroom filling it with fleeting musical notes. She stole a quick glance at the ticking clock hanging on the wall. She had about ten more minutes of practice left before she had to go home.

 _Perhaps if I practice more often I'll be able to do a collaboration with Adrien!_ Lila thought happily as she read over her music sheets. Adrien was a talented musician and the son of the esteemed fashion designer Gabriel Agrest. The moment she heard Adrien play the piano she fell in love…She wanted him to be hers. She wanted to be the one he taught his expertise to, the one that could get to know him better, the one that could listen to his gentle piano playing whenever she pleased, the one to love him…. _But if I want to do any of that I have to be better than Ladybug…_

Ladybug was the nickname of a mysterious masked girl who joined the music competition last minute. She was a violinist and she had somehow managed to ensnare everyone at the try outs…even Adrien. Lila sighed…What did have that she didn't!? She's been playing the flute for years! She's been studying music for years! Since she was a child! She has the most expertise! She let out a groan in frustration when she hit the wrong note. Her concentration breaking as the sour noted screeched out of her instrument.

"Whatever! I'll practice more tomorrow." She said with a sigh as she carefully cleaned her flute and placed it in its case before gathering up all her music sheets. She was about to leave when she heard someone play the piano…

The sweet notes floated high in the air and twirled around like ballerinas in a music box. It was a sweet, innocent melody that caught Lila's attention…She smiled…

"Adrien plays the piano so beautifully…" She commented as she decided to listen in on the blonde boy's practice. She could just imagine his skilled fingers pressing the keys with great speed as his hands gently hovered over the piano, his fingers gracefully dancing across the keyboard with diligent precision.

She sat down on an empty seat and happily listened to the soothing melody. A small smile made its way across her face as her shoulders relaxed…. _Wait a minute…its Tuesday…Adrien doesn't have Piano practice on Tuesdays…_ Lila realized as she shot up from the chair. _Then…Then who's playing the piano…?_ She wondered… But as soon as she realized someone else was playing the piano the music stopped….and the room was engulfed in a chilling silence.

* * *

The next time Lila practiced she couldn't concentrate. She was still wondering who the mysterious pianist was…it's been bugging her all week so much so that she couldn't play her flute right… _Aug! There's no use practicing if I can't concentrate!_ There was only one solution she thought. She had to find out who the mysterious pianist was to quench her curiosity. The question now was how…? Perhaps if she stayed after school on a Tuesday she will be able to hear the piano's music and find the pianist…

So when Tuesday came Lila staked out for the stranger. She sat on an empty chair in the room provided for her and decided to wait….Her foot tapped on the floor impatiently… _might as well practice…._ She thought glumly…She picked up her flute and gently blew into it, but before she could get started the graceful notes of a piano rose upwards encircling her gently with a lovely melody….She knew she should be searching for the music's origin…but instead she felt inclined to join it. She carefully brought the flute up to her lips and began playing. Allowing her musical notes to rise high in that air and dance with the piano's sympathy…Primavera by Ludovico Einaudi….Lila recognized it….

After a while the piano suddenly stopped in the middle of the song…Once the hypnotic notes from the piano stopped playing Lila was brought back to reality. She had to find out who was playing more than ever!

* * *

 _Okay this time for sure…!_ Lila thought. She waited for the sounds of piano to start….they didn't….There wasn't even a pip the whole afternoon…. _Crap they know I'm on to them!_ Lila thought….The flute playing along with their piano must have thrown them off.

* * *

Lila let out a sigh….She may never find the mysterious pianist…It was Wednesday today. Yesterday there was no piano music either. She wondered what was wrong with the pianist…perhaps they were sick…or they didn't like being interrupted by other musician's practicing….where they shy…? All these questions were swirling in her head…. _ah….I hear it again!_ Immediately Lila started following the music notes until they got louder and louder. Her heart was beating louder and louder as she advanced forward. She knew for one thing it wasn't Adrien. Adrien had piano practices on Fridays.

Her hand was on the door knob now….She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and she opened the door with more force than was necessary. There was a yelp of a surprise and the music abruptly stopped playing….The only thought that went through Lila's mind was _who the fuck was this…?_ She genuinely didn't know the answer to that question. He was a pale petite boy wearing oversized clothing and a mob of bright red hair….

"Were….were you the one playing the piano…?" She asked after an awkward silence….

"Uhhh I-I I'm sorry for disturbing you….I w-were you the one playing t-the flute….?" He asked… Lila stood there in silence for a little while…in a mild hypnosis…his voice was very hypnotic….She simply nodded in response after a while.

Silence….

"Would you mind if I stayed here and listen to you play? I quite like your music." Lila said as she made her way towards the redhead.

"I….I d-don't mind….I guess." He said seeing as the girl already sat down next to him…

"You're really good. Did you enter the musical competition?" Lila asked hoping to make small talk.

"N-No…I….umm…competition isn't really my thing…playing the piano is more of a side hobby…" He admitted.

 _How do you get this good at doing a side hobby_? Lila wondered…though she didn't say it out loud.

"Hmmm…Well you're really good at it I almost mistook you for Adrien." Lila said.

"R-really oh…uhh thanks…" He said shyly as he kept his gaze on the piano's pearly white keys.

"What's your name?"

"Nathanael….and yours?" He asked after answering her question.

"Lila…" She said with a gentle smile.


	16. Rescue the princess

The scorching sun beamed down upon the blonde man as he transversed the vast sea of dry sand. Who was he…? He was the famous Knight, Chat noir! So why was Chat walking in the middle of a desert? His lady had tasked him with a job request. Apparently someone needed assistance in regards to a kidnapped royal. It seemed like the typical princess in distress situation. Ladybug truly wanted to help, but her hands were tied at the moments seeing as she was also asked to take care of an akuma at a neighboring kingdom. Chat Noir offered his assistance immediately, he didn't want his Lady to worry too much or overwork her beautiful self. The location of the princess was far, far away and so Chat began his long journey…it was longer than he liked to admit…

Suddenly his sensitive cat ears perked up at the sound of slushing sand. He turned around and he saw a mysterious figure walking forth from the blazing heat…He tried squinting his eyes to get a better look at the mysterious stranger…He couldn't see who it was as the mirage of heatwaves blurred his vision, but he could tell that the mysterious stranger was petite in size…. _Why was this guy walking around here…? There is no village nearby…._ Chat wondered….that's when it dawned on him. He remembered the person who gave him the quest said something about another knight….Chat smirked… _I always did like a little competition…_ He thought playfully as he decided to pick up his pace.

After leaving the desert he was subjected to the harsh freezing cold of the Whaling Mountains, so named because whenever the brash wind blew past the mountains it created a ghastly sound that resonated loudly within the mountains like a ghostly cry. Once again he saw the stranger, who was covered head to toe with large fluffy clothing that protected him from the icy cold breath of the howling wind…. _This guy is good…_ Chat thought…He half expected the guy to be much, much farther behind….But no he was right beside him….and he was fast…..He was awfully quick on his feet and nimble to as he jumped from one point to another in a matter of seconds… Chat let out a 'tch' he wasn't going to be outdone that easily! After all he had the reflexes of a cat!

As he made his way through the large plains he licked his dry lips as he thought about what kind of person the princess was…he certainly hopped she was nothing like Chloe….Suddenly a random thought came to mind…. _What if it had been ladybug that was captured awaiting for her knight in shining armor?_ He giggled slightly at the imaginary thought as a small blush dusted his cheeks…He would go up the tower and there she would be in all her beauty with a teasing smile saying: "what took you so long…" He would walk closer…and she would stand on her tippy toes….as…. _Fwosh!_ Chat blinked….The stranger had passed him! Oh no, he was not going to be outdone, what would his Lady think! He quickly picked up his pace.

After he left both the plains and the stranger behind the last place he had to go through was the overgrown dark forest…. He gulped…he heard the tales of people going in and never coming out… His cat ears perked up again…He had learned to recognize the sound of those heeled boots anywhere! It was his temporary rival! Without a second thought Chat darted inside the forest….As he wheezed his way past the large and closely knitted trees he could hear the whishing sound of something above. He craned his head upwards and saw the stranger jumping from one tree branch to another at an incredible speed… He willed his legs to go faster…..

He saw the large tower up ahead….He got out his baton and ran forward at full force before launching himself up with his physics defying baton. He gracefully barrel rolled his way inside the open window and bounced back up as soon as he regained his bearing. He saw the large bed in the middle and someone seemed to be curled up inside the purple silk covers, peacefully sleeping. The princess had beautiful fiery red hair and alabaster skin. Her tiara was on the white nightstand next to her royal bed. Chat smiled as he strutted his way towards the bed with a victorious smile.

"Yes! The girl is mine." Chat said victoriously (Though the girl wasn't his….he was only saying that in the heat of the moment…No, the only girl his heart belonged to was ladybug)

The princess awoke with a start her seafoam eyes shooting open…The silky blankets fell off revealing a lovely, simple pale red nightgown.

"Worry not fair maiden, I Chat have come to rescue you." He said chivalrously with a charming smile.

Chat could then hear the clink of heeled boots land on the porcelain tile floor. He turned around with a smile.

"Sorry the princess has me now, you can go now." He said. The princess cleared her throat catching his attention…then she spoke….

"Wow rude…" She…uhh…No HE! Chat almost fell when he heard the 'princess' speak…It was a deep velvety voice….one that he was VERY envious of! It was the kind of voice girls swooned after and guys longed for….Suddenly the white hooded stranger walked up confidently taking of HER hood to reveal a beautiful tan face with olive eyes and long chocolate locks.

"Oh wow yeah did you just assume I was a guy because I was a knight." She said with a frown as she gently scooped up the petite boy in her arms. The red-haired boy shook his head disapprovingly.

"Is it the nightgown?" The PRINCE asked with a frown. "Can't guys wear this without having their gender questioned?!" The female knight shook her head her lips sealed in a straight line.

"No, no come on, Nathanael let's go." She said as she made her way out towards the window. Nathanael just pointed an accusing finger at Chat.

"Shame on you…"

* * *

"So….How was the mission…?" Ladybug asked….Chat recently just returned from his long quest….

"Can guys wear a nightgown…?" He asked after a second of silence…Ladybug just titled her head in confusion…

"W-wha…?"

* * *

 _Can you guess where I got the Idea from XD. Also sorry this wasn't too Nathaniel and lila centered but i hoped you liked it._


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